Breast Microbiome Different in Women With Breast Cancer

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There's a breast microbiome, and it's different in women with breast cancer

By Erin Blakemore Erin Blakemore To Your HealthOctober 19, 2016 (Washington Post)

"In one of the most recent studies, researchers from the Mayo Clinic have identified significant differences in the breast bacteria of women with and without breast cancer.

The paper, published in the journal Scientific Reports, reveals that inside the breast is a complex
microscopic world much different from that of the skin tissue just outside. Researchers used DNA
sequencing to analyze sterile breast tissue removed from 33 women in the operating room and
compared the results to breast skin and cheek swabs taken from the same patients.
The tiny organisms contained within the breast of women who had benign breast disease — lesions and
abnormalities that ended up not being cancerous — were dramatically different from those in samples
taken from the same locations in women who did have cancer. Women with breast cancer had more
abundance of a variety of bacteria such as Fusobacterium, Atopobium and Lactobacillus. And their skin
microbiome just inches away seemed completely distinct.

"There were really striking differences between skin tissue and breast tissue," said Tina J. Hieken, a
Mayo Clinic breast surgical oncologist who led the study. Not only did breast skin have a different mix
of bacteria, but the bacteria that lived there also were more abundant."

"Fusobacterium, for example, has been associated with colorectal cancers, but Hieken said more
research is needed to determine exactly how the two might be linked. "These bacteria might act by
secreting virulence factors or by creating a pro-inflammatory environment," she said. "We'd like to
look at what's really going on in the microenvironment of the tissue."

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Fusobacterium is a genus of anaerobic, Gram-negative, non-sporeforming, bacteria, similar to Bacteroides. Individual cells are slender' rod-shaped bacilli with pointed ends.[2][3] Strains of Fusobacterium cause several human diseases, including periodontal diseases, Lemierre's syndrome, and topical skin ulcers.

In 2011, researchers discovered that Fusobacterium flourishes in colon cancer cells, and is often also associated with ulcerative colitis, although researchers have not determined if the organism actually causes these diseases or if it simply flourishes in the environment these diseases create.[5] The bacterium is a big anchor for biofilms.[6][7] It is suseptible to clindamycin.[8] In contrast to Bacteroidesspp., Fusobacterium has a potent lipopolysaccharide. Fusobacterium spp. are part of normal, healthy placental microbiome.[9][10]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusobacterium

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Lactobacillus

Lactobacillus is a genus of Gram-positive, facultative anaerobic or microaerophilic, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacteria.[1] They are a major part of the lactic acid bacteria group (i.e. they convert sugars to lactic acid). In humans, they constitute a significant component of the microbiota at a number of body sites. In women of European ancestry, Lactobacillus species are normally a major part of the vaginal microbiota.[2][3][4]

Interactions with other pathogens[edit]

Lactobacillus species produce hydrogen peroxide which inhibits the growth and virulence of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans in vitro and in vivo.[9][10] Following antibiotic therapy, certain Candida species can suppress the regrowth of Lactobacillus species at body sites where they cohabitate, such as in the gastrointestinal tract.[9][10]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus

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Atopobium

Atopobium is a genus of Actinobacteria, in the family Coriobacteriaceae.Atopobium species are anaerobic bacteria, Gram-positive rod-shaped or elliptical found as single elements or in pairs or short chains.This is an facultative anaerobic bacteria, Gram-positive rod-shaped or elliptical cocobacilli, which form small colonies on blood agar at 37 °C is also positive for acid phosphatase. It can be identified by 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing,[3] and is associated with bacterial vaginosis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atopobium
Actinobacteria (Atopobium is an actinobacteria)The Actinobacteria are a phylum of Gram-positive bacteria. They can be terrestrial or aquatic.[1] They are of great economic importance to humans because agriculture and forests depend on their contributions to soil systems. In soil, they behave much like fungi, helping to decompose the organic matter of dead organisms so the molecules can be taken up anew by plants. In this role the coloniesoften grow extensive mycelia, like a fungus would, and the name of an important order of the phylum, Actinomycetales (the actinomycetes), reflects that they were long believed to be fungi. Some soil actinobacteria (such as Frankia) live symbiotically with the plants whose roots pervade the soil, fixing nitrogen for the plants in exchange for access to some of the plant's saccharides.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actinobacteria