Giant loops of DNA carried by bacteria in our mouth may have a beneficial impact on our oral health and our immune systems, potentially reducing the risk of certain cancers.

Named 'Inocles', the recently discovered rings of nucleic acid appear to be a large type of plasmid; genetic elements found outside of the main DNA instruction manual in many microbes.

A team led by researchers from the University of Tokyo says Inocles are likely to play an important role in helping bacteria – in this case, Streptococcus bacteria – adapt to the biological environment in the mouth, like bonus survival kits.

"We know there are a lot of different kinds of bacteria in the oral microbiome, but many of their functions and means of carrying out those functions are still unknown," says University of

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