Background The etiology of prostate cancer (PCa) is multiple and complex. Among the causes recently cited are chronic infections engendered by microorganisms that often go unnoticed. A typical illustration of such a case is infection due to mollicutes bacteria. Generally known by their lurking nature, urogenital mollicutes are the most incriminated in PCa. This study was thus carried out in an attempt to establish the presence of these mollicutes by PCR in biopsies of confirmed PCa patients and to evaluate their prevalence. Methods A total of 105 Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded prostate tissues collected from 50 patients suffering from PCa and 55 with benign prostate hyperplasia were subjected to PCR amplification targeting species-specific genes of 5 urogenital mollicutes species, Mycoplasma genitalium, M. hominis, M. fermentans, Ureaplasma parvum, and U. urealyticum. PCR products were then sequenced to confirm species identification. Results significance was statistically assessed using Chi-square and Odds ratio tests. Results PCR amplification showed no positive results for M. genitalium, M. hominis, and M. fermentans in all tested patients. Strikingly, Ureaplasma spp. were detected among 30% (15/50) of PCa patients. Nucleotide sequencing further confirmed the identified ureaplasma species, which were distributed as follows: 7 individuals with only U. parvum, 5 with only U. urealyticum, and 3 co-infection cases. Association of the two ureaplasma species with PCa cases proved statistically significant (P < 0.05), and found to represent a risk factor. Of note, Ureaplasma spp. were mostly identified in patients aged 60 and above with prostatic specific antigen (PSA) level > 4 ng/ml and an invasive malignant prostate tumor (Gleason score 8–10). Conclusions This study uncovered a significant association of Ureaplasma spp. with PCa arguing in favour of their potential involvement in this condition. Yet, this finding, though statistically supported, warrants a thorough investigation at a much larger scale.
Mycoplasma meleagridis is a prominent turkey bacterial pathogen associated with airsacculitis and reproductive disorders. Notwithstanding the economic losses caused by M. meleagridis, its genome has still not been sequenced. For a better understanding of its genetic background and pathogenicity mechanisms, we sequenced the genome of M. meleagridis type strain ATCC 25294.
More than one million new cancer cases occur worldwide every year. Although many clinical trials are applied and recent diagnostic tools are employed, curing cancer disease is still a great challenge for mankind. Heredity and epigenetics are the main risk factors often related to cancer. Although, the infectious etiological role in carcinogenesis was also theorized. By establishing chronic infection and inflammation in their hosts, several microorganisms were suggested to cause cell transformation. Of these suspicious microorganisms, mycoplasmas were well regarded because of their intimate parasitism with host cells, as well as their silent and insidious role during infections. This assumption has opened many questions about the real role played by mycoplasmas in oncogenesis. Herein, we presented a sum up of many studies among the hundreds which had addressed the Mycoplasma-cancer topic over the past 50 years. Research studies in this field have first started by approving the mycoplasmas malignancy potential. Indeed, using animal models and in vitro experiments in various cell lines from human and other mammalians, many mycoplasmas were proven to cause varied modifications leading to cell transformation. Moreover, many studies have looked upon the Mycoplasma-cancer subject from an epidemiological point of view. Diverse techniques were used to assess the mycoplasmas prevalence in patients with cancer from different countries. Not less than 10 Mycoplasma species were detected in the context of at least 15 cancer types affecting the brain, the breast, the lymphatic system, and different organs in the genitourinary, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urinary tracts. Based on these revelations, one should concede that detection of mycoplasmas often linked to ‘‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’’ is not a coincidence and might have a role in cancer. Thorough investigations are needed to better elucidate this role. This would have a substantial impact on the improvement of cancer diagnosis and its prevention.
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