您现在的位置: 首页 > 英语听力 > 媒体资讯 > 60秒科学 > 正文

60秒科学:科学家找出了西尼罗河病毒迅速蔓延的真凶

时间:2011-11-15 10:24:12 来源:scientificamerican 编辑:beck  每天三分钟英语轻松学

 

West Nile virus first appeared in North America in 1999. And it quickly moved across the continent. Now a study has pinned the proliferation on a particular culprit: robins. The work is published in the journal Science. [A. Marm Kilpatrick, "Globalization, Land Use, and the Invasion of West Nile Virus"]

西尼罗河病毒最早是1999年在北美洲被发现的。然后它就迅速的穿越了整个大陆。目前一项研究发现了该病毒能迅速扩散的真凶:知更鸟。该项成果发表在美国《科学》杂志。

A variety of animals can serve as hosts for West Nile, but the virus primarily spreads through a few species of mosquitoes that usually feed on birds, and those bird species, which become viral hosts. Robins may not be the most abundant of birds, but mosquitoes find their blood particularly tasty, frequently feeding on them and turning them into viral “super-spreaders.”

很多动物是西尼罗河病毒的宿主,但该病毒主要还是通过当地的一些蚊子来传播,这些蚊子是知更鸟的食物,鸟吃了蚊子,自然也变成宿主了。知更鸟可能不是当地数量最多的鸟类,但是对蚊子来说,它们的血就是美味佳肴,通过不断地吸血,鸟成了这个病毒的超级携带者。

In fact, the virus may be why the once-growing robin population has leveled off. The mosquitoes and birds responsible for West Nile’s spread abound where people also live, raising the odds that a mosquito that picked up the virus feeding on a robin could transmit it to a person.

事实上,该病毒有可能是知更鸟数量始终没多少变化的原因。由于蚊子和鸟的作用,该病毒在人口密集的地方传播开来,这样当地人被携带了病毒的蚊子叮咬过后感染该病毒的几率就增大了。

Knowing that the spread of mosquito-borne disease depends on the insects’ feeding habits could help researchers predict and prevent the spread of new pathogens. As Dickenson said, hope is the thing with feathers. Even if it’s infected.

知道了该病毒的传播途径,是由于鸟的饮食习惯决定的。那么研究人员就有方法来预测和防止这种病毒的传播。狄根森说到,我们的希望就寄托在这些长着羽毛的家伙身上,即便是一只已被感染的鸟。

收藏

相关热词搜索: 60秒科学

上一篇:六级翻译特训附答案(1)

下一篇:可可词汇课堂第279期:悲剧

您可能还感兴趣的文章

60秒科学:组织临时球赛有助无家可归者改善健康状
英文原文Pickup Soccer Helps Homeless HealthIt sounds either really crazy, or kind of obvious. But according to new research, pick-up soccer could help homeless

时间:2011-10-27 编辑:beck

60秒科学:识标语 勤洗手
听力文本在看到提示自己考虑病人健康的标语时,医护人员会多洗自己的手,而看到提示关注自己的健康时,他们却不会多洗自己的手。CI报道。Handwashing is the best way to

时间:2011-09-05 编辑:Sunny

60秒科学:Black Hole Quasar Building Galaxy
Black Hole Quasar Building Galaxy A study in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics finds that a distant quasar, powered by a black hole, is building a galaxy th

时间:2009-12-07 编辑:echo

60秒科学:厄尔尼诺——内战推手
听力文本厄尔尼诺现象导致食物短缺,从而引发零星冲突乃至内战。提前预知气候有利于应对此类事件。Historians have speculated for years that global environmental cha

时间:2011-08-31 编辑:sunny

最新文章

无觅相关文章插件,快速提升流量