There are strange infections – and even stranger ones because we never thought they were virally transmitted and coming from bacteria, instead of just resulting from unhealthy lifestyle, genetics, or ageing. ‘A growing number of diseases that were thought to be down to genetics or lifestyle turn out to have an infectious origin.’ For starters, stomach ulcers were thought to be triggered by stress. In the 1980s, many such cases were found to have been caused by a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori.

Here are some more surprises (and alarming alerts):

Some stomach bugs can bring about diabetes. Animal feces are a definite source of germs and bacteria that can bring about a myriad of diseases. ‘A parasite that lurks in cat faeces could be linked with schizophrenia.’

Breast cancer attributed to genes may only apply to 1 in 10 cases. The mouse mammary tumor virus may also cause the dreaded disease. Better screening techniques could be developed to confirm or negate the theory that prostate cancer is linked to a certain kind of infection.

Obesity, long held as caused by an unfortunate possession of a fat-retaining gene or by eating too much of the wrong foods, may possibly be caused by the ‘wrong kind of cold.’ Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, long thought to be caused by genes or a bad childhood, may also be triggered by infections.

Via NewScientist