Identifying the genetic determinants of Fusobacterium associated with diarrhoeal disease and colorectal cancer in Vietnam

The bacterium Fusobacterium nucleatum commonly resides in the human mouth, but its presence in the gut could contribute to the development of colorectal cancer in adults and potentially the resolution of diarrhoea in children. Here, I will investigate whether Fusobacterium overgrowth in the gut affects the duration of childhood diarrhoea and measure the prevalence of F. nucleatum in the gut of colorectal cancer patients in Vietnam. I will study the bacterial communities in clinical samples (saliva, stool, gut tissue) by analysing the composition of a bacterial barcode gene (16S rRNA). I will grow F. nucleatum from collected samples and compare these organisms' genetic content, to assess which F. nucleatum genes are associated with colonization in colorectal tumours and different human organs (mouth, gut). My project will define the role of Fusobacterium in these two critical diseases, and help designing effective therapies to counter Fusobacterium colonization in the human gut.