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Bracken and cancer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2011

W. F. H. Jarrett
W. F. H. Jarrett
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of Glasgow Veterinary School, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1QH
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Synopsis

There is a high incidence of cancer in beef cows in certain sharply localised geographic calf-rearing areas in Britain and also in cattle in several other parts of the world. The tumours occur on farms which are highly infested with bracken fern and which have a history of bracken poisoning. Bracken is known to cause intestinal and bladder cancer in rats and recently the flavonol, quercetin, has been shown to be a mitogen and to be carcinogenic in rats. Bracken contains large amounts of quercetin. In addition the animals have a high incidence of papillomas of the alimentary tract and these transform to malignant tumours. A new and unique papilloma virus has been isolated from these tumours. Studies using genetic engineering and DNA hybridisation techniques have shown that both alimentary and urinary bladder tumours contain viral DNA sequences. The relationship between bracken, quercetin and viral DNA sequences is under investigation both in cattle and at the molecular biology level as two possible stages in a multi-stage process in the aetiology of a high incidence naturally occurring cancer.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Section B: Biological Sciences , Volume 81 , Issue 1-2: Bracken in Scotland , 1982 , pp. 79 - 83
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1982

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