MKI67 and infection: We postulated that a phenomenon, not yet fully understood, may account for our observations (Fig. 5) (14): A reduced immune response against a wide-spread nutritionally acquired infection, induction of a slow and chronic inflammatory reaction resulting in mutagenic radicals (as detected e.g., by 8-OHdG-antibodies in this study), eventually leading to proliferative and finally to malignant transformation of susceptible cells mainly in the Ki67+ proliferative basal cells and early daughter cells at the basis of the colon crypts commonly spanning a period of several decades.