Can a bacteria become cancerous (in the sense that it will divide uncontrollably)?

Question

Can a bacteria become cancerous (in the sense that it will divide uncontrollably)?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Cancer is when a multicellular organisms cells divide uncontrollably which causes problems by taking resources and damaging other cells in the same organisim.

Bacteria multiplying uncontrollably is just overpopulation. This tends to be called a bloom, as the bacteria rapidly divide, consume far to many resources from their environment and then mostly die.

Bacteria that infect you and multiply uncontrollably is just a severe infection.