Appolonia Adeyemi A potentially lethal food poisoning bug found in chicken could be driving a rise in late stage colon cancer cases, new research has suggested.
Results of the study is published in the journal ‘Cell Host & Microbiome’. Studies have found a common strain of the bacteria campylobacter, found in chicken may speed up colon cancer progression by causing DNA damage.
Campylobacter is the most common source of food poisoning, often found on raw chicken. It typically causes diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting that gets better naturally within a week.
In severe cases, however, it can be life-threatening for vulnerable groups, including young children, the elderly and immunosuppressed.
While the study could not prove that the bug is directly responsible for rising rates of the disease, researchers said campylobacter jejuni may put the public at higher risk.
In the new study, US researchers tracked over 70 patients with the disease and compared campylobacter jejuni levels in their digestive system.
