[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fxLN3MUwXCdr5RPjwZYIDpOj8CHyjOmngWTgoKXPtZbg":3,"$f8VwynH9qMy9aVP6BUAAHR9CEskjUwaQgEu56DbCUjJE":32,"$f3Ft0rKFJHppdzE-vuveecxx1BUcg9iOlMLtyzf_MJDg":47},[4,8,12,16,20,24,28],{"title":5,"slug":6,"path":7},"About Microbeonline.com","about-microbeonline-com","\u002Fabout-microbeonline-com\u002F",{"title":9,"slug":10,"path":11},"About Me","about-me","\u002Fabout-microbeonline-com\u002Fabout-me\u002F",{"title":13,"slug":14,"path":15},"Advertise with Us","advertise-us","\u002Fadvertise-us\u002F",{"title":17,"slug":18,"path":19},"Privacy Policy","privacy-policy","\u002Fprivacy-policy\u002F",{"title":21,"slug":22,"path":23},"Abbreviations","abbreviations","\u002Fabbreviations\u002F",{"title":25,"slug":26,"path":27},"Microbes","microbes","\u002Fmicrobes\u002F",{"title":29,"slug":30,"path":31},"Books","recommended-books","\u002Frecommended-books\u002F",{"type":33,"data":34},"blog",{"slug":35,"title":36,"description":36,"seoTitle":37,"seoDescription":37,"author":38,"createdDate":39,"lastUpdatedDate":40,"draft":41,"category":42,"image":37,"body":43,"faq":44,"tags":45,"related":46},"infectious-causes-cancer-bacteria-virus-parasites","Infectious causes of Cancer: Bacteria, Virus and Parasites",null,"Acharya Tankeshwar","2013-09-06","2025-12-29",false,"general-microbiology","Infectious agents, such as viruses and bacteria, are the causes of several common cancers. Infection with the bacterium *Helicobacter pylori*predisposes to gastric cancer. Chronic infection with HBV, HCV predisposes to hepatocellular carcinoma.  In this blog post, you can find a list of bacterial, viral, and parasitic agents that have found to cause or predispose individuals to various types of cancer.\n\n![Cancer causing pathogens](\u002Fblogs\u002Fcancer-causing-pathogens.jpg)\n\u003Cfigcaption>Figure: Cancer causing pathogens\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\n\n## List of viruses that causes cancer\n\n1. **Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV)**are associated with liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma)\n2. **Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)**is associated with lymphoma and nasopharyngeal cancer.  EBV is the primary cause of infectious mononucleosis but EBV is also a causative agent in many aggressive neoplasms, including 20% of cases of Hodgkin’s lymphoma (one of the most common lymphomas of adolescence), nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and a subtype of Burkitt’s lymphoma.\n3. **Human papillomavirus (HPV)**is a major cause of cervical, anal, penile, and oropharyngeal cancer.  The most common clinically significant manifestation of persistent genital HPV infection is cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). HPV-16 and HPV-18 are implicated as the cause of nearly 70% of Carcinoma of the cervix\n4. **Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8)**is the causative agent of Kaposi’s sarcoma.\n5. **Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV):** HIV does not cause cancer directly but HIV infection increases a person’s risk of getting several types of cancer such as Kaposi’s sarcoma, invasive cervical cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and central nervous system lymphoma, etc.\n6. **Human T-lymphotropic virus-1 (HTLV-1)**: HTLV-1 has been linked with a type of lymphocytic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma called adult T-cell leukemia\u002Flymphoma (ATL).\n\n![ - Various cancers have been linked to infection (Image source: Ref-4)](\u002Fblogs\u002Finfection-linked-with-cancer.png)\n\u003Cfigcaption>Figure: Various cancers have been linked to infection (Image source: Ref-4)\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\n\n## List of Bacterial\u002FParasitic agents linked with cancers\n\n1. Chronic infection with [Helicobacterpylori](\u002Fvirulence-factors-of-helicobacter-pylori-and-their-roles-in-pathogenesis\u002F)predisposes to stomach cancer and to gut mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma.\n2. *Schistosoma haematobium*, a parasitic flatworm is associated with a high incidence of  bladder cancer\n3. *Opisthorchis viverrini*and *Clonorchis sinensis*are liver flukes (a type of flatworm) that have been linked to an increased risk of developing cancer of the bile ducts.\n\n**References and further readings**\n\n1. [‘Viruses that can lead to cancer](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cancer.org\u002Fcancer\u002Fcancer-causes\u002Finfectious-agents\u002Finfections-that-can-lead-to-cancer\u002Fviruses.html). American Cancer Society\n2. ‘[Bacteria that Can Lead to Cancer](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cancer.org\u002Fcancer\u002Fcancer-causes\u002Finfectious-agents\u002Finfections-that-can-lead-to-cancer\u002Fbacteria.html)‘. American Cancer Society\n3. ‘[Parasites that Can Lead to Cancer](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cancer.org\u002Fcancer\u002Fcancer-causes\u002Finfectious-agents\u002Finfections-that-can-lead-to-cancer\u002Fparasites.html)‘. American Cancer Society\n4. Anand, Preetha & Kunnumakkara, Ajaikumar & Kunnumakara, Ajaikumar & Sundaram, Chitra & Harikumar, Kuzhuvelil & Tharakan, Sheeja & Lai, Oiki & Sung, Bokyung & Aggarwal, Bharat. (2008). Cancer is a Preventable Disease that Requires Major Lifestyle Changes. Pharmaceutical research. 25. 2097-116. 10.1007\u002Fs11095-008-9661-9.",[],[],[],[48,54,61,66,70,74,79,84,88,92],{"slug":49,"name":38,"description":50,"image":51,"body":52,"postCount":53},"acharya-tankeshwar","Editor-in-chief","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.microbeonline.com\u002Fauthors\u002Ftankeshwar-acharya-author-microbeonline.jpg","***Tankeshwar Acharya, MSc (Medical Microbiology)***\n\n*Tankeshwar Acharya is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at Patan Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS), Nepal, where he has been teaching and practicing clinical microbiology for over 14 years. He is the founder of Microbe Online, one of the leading free microbiology education resources on the web, covering bacteriology, mycology, parasitology, immunology, and clinical laboratory diagnostics written from direct experience in both the classroom and the diagnostic laboratory.*",433,{"slug":55,"name":56,"description":57,"image":58,"body":59,"postCount":60},"ashma-shrestha","Ashma Shrestha","SEO Copywriter and Science Communicator\nKathmandu, Nepal","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.microbeonline.com\u002Fauthors\u002Fashma-shrestha.png","Ashma Shrestha holds a Master of Science in Medical Microbiology from the Institute of Science and Technology (IOST), Tribhuvan University, Nepal, where she developed a strong foundation in virology, molecular biology, and diagnostic microbiology.\n\nShe now works as an SEO Copywriter at Resolution Digital, where she combines her scientific training with research-driven content strategy. She is certified in Google Analytics and Google Business Profile (GBP), and brings a data-informed approach to science communication writing content that is not only accurate but structured to reach and serve the students who need it most.\n\nAt microbeonline, Ashma contributes articles primarily in virology and molecular biology, areas she finds most compelling for their mechanistic depth and their growing clinical relevance. Her writing reflects the same standard the site is built on: factual rigor, clear explanation of the *why* behind microbiology concepts, and content that helps students move from memorization to genuine understanding.\n\nShe is passionate about making complex microbiological concepts accessible without sacrificing accuracy; a skill that sits at the intersection of her scientific training and her professional work in content and SEO.",81,{"slug":62,"name":63,"description":64,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":65},"sushmita-baniya","Sushmita Baniya","Author \u002F Contributor",32,{"slug":67,"name":68,"description":64,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":69},"samikshya-acharya","Samikshya Acharya",20,{"slug":71,"name":72,"description":64,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":73},"alisha-tripathi","Alisha Tripathi",6,{"slug":75,"name":76,"description":77,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":78},"aastha-shrestha","Aastha Shrestha"," Author \u002F Contributor",10,{"slug":80,"name":81,"description":82,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":83},"guest-author","Guest Author","Guest Author \u002F Contributor",2,{"slug":85,"name":86,"description":64,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":87},"srijana-khanal","Srijana Khanal",18,{"slug":89,"name":90,"description":82,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":91},"dr-poonam-acharya","Dr. Poonam Acharya",1,{"slug":93,"name":94,"description":64,"image":37,"body":95,"postCount":96},"nisha-rijal","Nisha Rijal","**Nisha Rijal** is a microbiologist and quality assurance specialist. She served for nearly 12 years as a microbiologist at the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL), Nepal's national reference laboratory, and continues to work as a consultant microbiologist in international public health organization. ",51]