One of the most common consequences of cytotoxic cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation, is the loss of a type of white blood cell called neutrophils—a phenomenon known as neutropenia. In some severe cases of neutropenia, patients develop a fever. Research published November 16 in Science Translational Medicine links this fever to mucus-degrading bacteria in the gut, specifically the commensal Akkermansia muciniphila. The study authors show that these microbes thin the mucus layer in mice, potentially exposing hosts to further bacterial infections—a finding that hints at possible ways to stave off treatment-related fevers in humans.
Previous work had hinted that infections originating in the gut can be a major source of bacterial infections in the bloodstream, and scientists have observed associations between changes in gut microbiota and neutropenic fever. To dig deeper into this link, a team led by scientists at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center ...
