Salmonella could be engineered to help fight bowel cancer after research revealed the bacteria stops the body’s immune cells from attacking the disease.

Experts have long known that salmonella, which can cause food poisoning, could help defeat cancerbut when used in therapy, it has not been as effective as hoped.

But now a study has found that salmonella could be modified to allow T cells – a type of white blood cell that protects the body from infection and disease – to kill cancer cells.

Using mice, the team of researchers found that salmonella generally stops T cells from fighting cancer cells because it depletes an amino acid called asparagine.

Dr Alastair Copland, first author of the study and an immunology researcher at the University of Birmingham, said the research could “turn a disease-causing virus like salmonella into a cancer-fighting virus”.

He said: “A long-standing mystery is why T cells, which are essential in fighting cancer, do not function optimally during this treatment.

“Now we have identified the protein responsible for this and identified an exciting genetic target that could help us unlock the full potential of this therapy.”

Dr Catherine Elliott, director of research at Cancer Research UK, which funded the study, said the research is an “exciting” development and could lead to “more effective treatments for patients with colorectal cancer and other cancers in the future, giving hope to patients.” “.

There are more than 44,000 new cases of bowel cancer each year in the UK, making it the fourth most common case.

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Salmonella can be present in the intestines of many animals, including chickens, cows and pigs.

It can contaminate foods like eggs, chicken and pork, as well as fruits and vegetables that have come into contact with livestock or manure.

If infected, symptoms of salmonella include diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and fever. They usually develop within 12 to 72 hours and last four to seven days.

The study was published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.