One quarter of all cancers are linked to infectious diseases. The link between viral infection and cancer has been widely studied, but few reports have focused on the carcinogenic role of bacterial infection. Nonetheless, Helicobacter pylori, Chlamydia psittaci, Coxiella burnetii, Borrelia burgdorferi and Campylobacter jejuni are bacteria that can be associated with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), the most common haematologic malignancy. Here, we review the evidence in favour of a link between these bacterial infections and NHL. Sero-epidemiological observation makes it possible to identify a link between H. pylori, C. burnetii, B. burgdorferi infection and NHL. Helicobacter pylori, Chlamydia psittaci, Coxiella burnetii, Borrelia burgdorferi and Campylobacter jejuni could be identified in NHL tissue samples at the site of chronic inflammation, where B and T lymphocytes are attracted to participate in follicle formation. Lymphoma remissions have been observed under antimicrobial therapies supporting the carcinogenic contribution of bacteria. If the theory of causality is characterized by the lack of universal criteria for establishing a causal link between two diseases, infection and lymphoma, epidemiological, clinical, and histological evidences reported here, should lead clinicians to pay attention to these infectious agents, to detect early lymphoma transformation.

所有癌症中有四分之一与传染病有关。病毒感染与癌症之间的联系已得到广泛研究，但很少有报道关注细菌感染的致癌作用。然而，幽门螺旋杆菌，鹦鹉热衣原体，立克次体，螺旋体和空肠弯曲菌是可以与非霍奇金淋巴瘤（NHL），最常见的恶性血液系统相关的细菌。在这里，我们回顾了这些细菌感染与NHL之间存在联系的证据。血清流行病学观察使确定幽门螺杆菌，伯氏梭菌，伯氏疏螺旋体之间的联系成为可能感染和NHL。幽门螺杆菌，鹦鹉热衣原体，柯氏杆菌，伯氏疏螺旋体和空肠弯曲菌可以在慢性炎症部位的NHL组织样本中发现B和T淋巴细胞被吸引参与卵泡形成的部位。在支持细菌致癌作用的抗微生物治疗下已观察到淋巴瘤缓解。如果因果关系理论的特征是缺乏在感染和淋巴瘤这两种疾病之间建立因果关系的通用标准，则此处报道的流行病学，临床和组织学证据应促使临床医生注意这些传染原，以便及早发现淋巴瘤转化。