Childhood exposure to bacterial toxin may be triggering colorectal cancer epidemic among the young

An international team has identified a potential microbial culprit behind the alarming rise in early-onset colorectal cancer: a bacterial toxin called colibactin. Scientists report that exposure to colibactin in early childhood imprints a distinct genetic signature on the DNA of colon cells -- one that may increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer before the age of 50.