Breast Cancer
There has been a great deal of documented research(1,2,3,5)which shows a link between health issues, cancers, lung tissue damage, fungi and their resultant Mycotoxins. These are toxic agents, similar to other chemical contaminants which have been linked to Cancers.
“Epidemiological research designed to explore causality of illness has produced increasing evidence to verify that exposure to toxic agents is contributing to the escalating burden of chronic affliction “Stephen J. Genuis* Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.Hospital officials in Montreal suspected that one patient died and another became gravely ill in February because of fungal spores in a city hospital’s 40-year-old ventilation system. The Royal Victoria Hospital responded by closing 12 of its 15 operating rooms after Aspergillus was discovered in their air ducts. “After DNA fingerprinting of environmental isolates and the patients’ isolates, we’re pretty sure that the ventilation system is the cause,” says Dr. Vivian Loo, the hospital’s infection-control officer.Just recently Dr Jack Thrasher a leading toxicologist has shown an association with indoor biological exposure where a husband and wife were exposed to fungal contamination which may have been part of the cause which led to major health implications. The husband has been diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma and his partner has breast cancer. Their unit was affected by fungi, with the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) showing air-conditioning filters were positive for Aspergillus, Penicillium, results also reported high Mycotoxin contamination (Fungal chemicals).Testing of the biopsy from the female’s breast tissue showed Penicilium purpurogenum (7) and the fungal Mycotoxin, Ochratoxins at 5.6 ppb. No testing is yet available for Rubatoxin B, the fungal Mycotoxin from Penicilium purpurogenum – their apartment tested positive to Aspergillus Niger (which has been documented to produce Ochratoxins) and Penicillium purpurogenum- both of these biological components were found in the breast tissue. Aflatoxins were also found in the unit but not in the breast tissue.The husbands kidney tumor biopsy tested positive to Ochratoxin at 9.2 ppb and Aflatoxins at 1.9 ppb but his liver biopsy showed very high levels of Aflatoxin, 15 ppb – this Mycotoxin had been found in the units air conditioning filters and it’s not surprising that Ochratoxin was not found in the liver as the Mycotoxin Ochratoxin has been associated with nephrotoxicity and kidney damage- as above the positives were only found in the kidney biopsy.We have also located Penicillium purpurogenum and Aspergillus versicolorin a diffused alveolar disease from a Sydney client, where the deceased died shortly after the biopsy. (both of these fungi were positive in the deceased’s contaminated apartment)(4). An isolate of Penicillium purpurogenum produces lytic enzymes which are directly implicated in the degradation of fungal cell walls, (9) Lytic enzymes have been used to prevent infection by specifically destroying disease bacteria on mucus membranes and in blood.The culture filtrate of P. purpurogenum NHL-6124 at 3.2% concentration affected HeLa cells lethally. Isolated Rubratoxin B was subjected to further study and proved to produce cytological changes at 32 to 100, g/ml, consistent with those of the filtrate (10).No research has been carried out on low-level chronic exposure to Rubratoxin B as yet and further research may be able to determine if there is a link to the disease due to the positives of P.purpurogenum being found in tissue and whether that link may be deemed as a promotion agent or simply a vector.Finding these fungi and Mycotoxins in affected tissue does not necessarily mean that they were the cause of the disease but we certainly need to look at any implications, whether there may be a bio-accumulation or a synergistic reaction with other chemicals, fungi or bacteria. Also whether this accumulation is from food sources or through inhalation (exposure)-currently our testing is showing that in some cases the pathogens and resultant toxins are in the patients’ contaminated environment which has led us to suggest that their path of exposure may be inhalation within their occupied environment.Breast Cancer Caused by Fungal Components – a myth or yet to be determined fact.Far too much evidence supports a link to fungi, and what fungi can produce (7), which is simply an additional chemical to add to an indoor environmental soup.Testing of Mycotoxins has been validated by Dr Dennis G. Hooper (Real Time Labs) and he has shown that Mycotoxins can be detected in human fluids and tissue in patients who have been exposed to toxin producing moulds in their environment (8)The findings which show Penicilium Purpurogenum in breast cancer biopsy’s had to make any intelligent individual stop and look further and ask the simple question is the P. purpurogenum to be found in non cancer tissues, or is it found only in cancerous or diseased tissue (that testing currently being undertaken).Currently we have the chance to determine if the Breast Cancer Biopsy’s from the ABC in Brisbane are positive to Penicilium Purpurogenum if this is the case and further studies look at the old ABC news area to determine whether there may have been an exposural issue. If positives are shown, from there we need to carry out testing on non-cancerous Breast Tissue to validate that this species is only located in diseased tissue.If the results show this validation what does it mean?Our affiliated testing facility in Texas has been instructed by our company to develop commercially a DNA probe for P. Purpurogenum and currently it’s being validated in human tissue, with the required protocols.The number of tests which have been carried out in cancerous breast tissue are currently low but all cancerous breast tissue has been positive to Penicillium purpurogenum but more importantly the non cancerous breast tissue is showing that the targeted Penicillium sp. is not there.Further research funding will be required to continue to determine if this fungal sp. continues to be validated in only disease tissue and then further research should also be directed at the fungal toxins from this sp. and if this sp. is infected with a Mycovirus which could have the ability to change signalling pathways leading to the development of a cancer cell.This is a chance to look at an area which may show a causal link and to those thousands of women who have suffered even if we don’t find any answers at least we have looked.
References:
