(Times of Israel) Failing to keep your teeth clean could lead to more than yellowing and bad breath, according to research by a Hebrew University team. A study of oral pathogen Fusobacterium nucleatum, commonly found in the mouth, indicates that it can actually impede the body’s immune system from fighting certain diseases – like cancer.
In a paper published in the latest issue of the research journal Immunity, co-authors Dr. Ofer Mandelboim and Dr. Gilad Bachrach discovered that the F. nucleatum germ could "collude" with colon cancer cells to inhibit an immune cell receptor called TIGIT – a natural body defense to the spread of cancer.