Book Description

A large number of DNA and RNA viruses have proved to be oncogenic in a wide variety of animals, ranging from amphibia to primates, and the evidence grows stronger that certain forms of human cancer are of viral origin.1 Although scientific knowledge in viral oncology has exploded in the 20th century, the role of bacteria as mediators of oncogenesis is less well elucidated. Yet for every human cell, the human body carries 10 bacterial cells. How these bacteria might affect disease development in the human host is rightly a vigorous area of research. As cancer continues its climb as the leading cause of death in developed nations, understanding the long-term effects of bacteria has become increasingly important as a possible means of cancer prevention. A transmissible cause of cancer was suspected as early as the 16th century.