Fusobacterium nucleatum: An Overview of Evidence, Demi-Decadal Trends, and Its Role in Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes and Various Gynecological Diseases, including Cancers

Sep 21, 2026

Gynecological and obstetric infectious diseases are critical to women’s health, and accumulating evidence connects Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum)—an anaerobic oral commensal and possible periodontal pathogen—to disease development and progression, including cancer. Although its role in colorectal cancer has been studied extensively, epidemiological and mechanistic evidence linking it to gynecological diseases remains under development. This review provides a comprehensive, critical reappraisal of F. nucleatum, including genetics and mechanistic functions in adverse pregnancy outcomes and gynecological diseases, and highlights immunomodulatory pathways that may drive breast, ovarian, endometrial, and cervical carcinogenesis. Further studies are required to clarify dynamic host–pathobiont interactions and enable improved prevention and therapy.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages35

Reading Time1 h 28 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Gynecological and obstetric infectious diseases and microbiome context

Fusobacterium nucleatum and evidence base

Mechanistic links to adverse pregnancy outcomes

Mechanistic links to gynecological diseases and cancers

Immunomodulatory pathways and signaling activation

Future directions for host–F. nucleatum interactions

Conclusions

cells Review Fusobacterium nucleatum: An Overview of Evidence, Demi-Decadal Trends, and Its Role in Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes and Various Gynecological Diseases, including Cancers Arunita Ghosh 1,2, Ken Jaaback 3,4, Angela Boulton 5, Michelle Wong-Brown 2,4, Steve Raymond 5, Partha Dutta 6,7, Nikola A. Bowden 2,4, * and Arnab Ghosh 1,2, * Citation: Ghosh, A.; Jaaback, K.; Boulton, A.; Wong-Brown, M.; Raymond, S.; Dutta, P.; Bowden, N.A.; Ghosh, A. Fusobacterium nucleatum: An Overview of Evidence, Demi-Decadal Trends, and Its Role in Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes and Various Gynecological Diseases, including Cancers. Cells 2024, 13, 717 . [https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13080717](https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13080717) Academic Editor: Luca Filippi Received: 7 March 2024 Revised: 14 April 2024 Accepted: 15 April 2024 Published: 20 April 2024 Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . 1 School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; [arunita.ghosh@newcastle.edu.au](arunita.ghosh@newcastle.edu.au) 2 Drug Repurposing and Medicines Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW 2305, Australia; [michelle.wong-brown@newcastle.edu.au](michelle.wong-brown@newcastle.edu.au) 3 Hunter New England Centre for Gynecological Cancer, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, NSW 2305, Australia; [kenneth.jaaback@health.nsw.gov.au](kenneth.jaaback@health.nsw.gov.au) 4 School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia 5 Newcastle Private Hospital, Newcastle, NSW 2305, Australia; [angeboulton@gmail.com](angeboulton@gmail.com) (A.B.); [steve@steveraymond.com.au](steve@steveraymond.com.au) (S.R.) 6 Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; [duttapa@pitt.edu](duttapa@pitt.edu) 7 Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA * [Correspondence: nikola.bowden@newcastle.edu.au](Correspondence: nikola.bowden@newcastle.edu.au) (N.A.B.); [arnab.ghosh@newcastle.edu.au](arnab.ghosh@newcastle.edu.au) (A.G.) Abstract: Gynecological and obstetric infectious diseases are crucial to women's health. There is growing evidence that links the presence of Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum), an anaerobic oral commensal and potential periodontal pathogen, to the development and progression of various human diseases, including cancers. While the role of this opportunistic oral pathogen has been extensively studied in colorectal cancer in recent years, research on its epidemiological evidence and mechanistic link to gynecological diseases (GDs) is still ongoing. Thus, the present review, which is the ﬁrst of its kind, aims to undertake a comprehensive and critical reappraisal of F. nucleatum, including the genetics and mechanistic role in promoting adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) and various GDs, including cancers. Additionally, this review discusses new conceptual advances that link the immunomodulatory role of F. nucleatum to the development and progression of breast, ovarian, endometrial, and cervical carcinomas through the activation of various direct and indirect signaling pathways. However, further studies are needed to explore and elucidate the highly dynamic process of host–F. nucleatum interactions and discover new pathways, which will pave the way for the development of better preventive and therapeutic strategies against this pathobiont. Keywords: adverse pregnancy outcomes; dysbiosis; Fusobacterium nucleatum; gynecological cancers; gynecological diseases; opportunistic pathogen; immunomodulation 1.

FAQs

What health conditions does Fusobacterium nucleatum relate to according to the review?

The review links Fusobacterium nucleatum to adverse pregnancy outcomes and to various gynecological diseases, including cancers such as breast, ovarian, endometrial, and cervical carcinomas.

What is the main gap the review highlights in existing research?

While the organism’s role has been extensively studied in colorectal cancer, the epidemiological evidence and mechanistic links to gynecological diseases are still ongoing and not fully established.

Which biological mechanism is emphasized for how F. nucleatum may contribute to disease progression?

The review emphasizes the immunomodulatory role of F. nucleatum, proposing activation of direct and indirect signaling pathways that may drive disease development and progression.

Sep 21, 2026

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