Abstract
It has been one of the surprising aspects, particularly of the past 2 decades, that widespread chronic diseases, previously thought to be due to metabolic imbalances or genetic modifications, are increasingly linked to infectious events. Besides atherosclerosis, now suspected to be caused by chlamydial infections, approximately 15% of global cancer incidence is aetiologically related to specific infections. Bacteria (Helicobacter pylori) and helminths (Schistosoma, Opistorchis, Clonorchis) contribute to the development of gastric, bladder and rectal cancers and to cholangiocarcinomas. Viruses, however, emerge as major causal cancer factors. In addition to hepatocellular carcinomas, linked to hepatitis B and C virus infections, specific types of papillomaviruses have been shown to cause a major human cancer, cancer of the cervix. They have also been implicated in a number of other anogenital, oropharyngeal, and cutaneous cancers. Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), the longest known human tumour virus (since 1964), human herpes virus types 8 (HHV-8), and human T-lymphotropic retrovirus type 1 (HTLV-1) represent additional identified human tumour viruses.
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