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Biowarfare saves bats from killer fungus
一场由真菌杀手引发的细菌战助蝙蝠逃出了死神之手
Researchers looking to cure white-nose syndrome - a major killer of American bats - have just reported a major success. A new treatment has saved the lives of infected bats. And it offers a ray of hope for their wild kin. The fungus responsible for white-nose syndrome has already threatened some of their populations with extinction.
据报道究人正寻找白鼻症（一种美国蝙蝠杀灭凶手）的治疗方法已经取得了显著成功。这种可以挽救被感染蝙蝠的新式治疗方法为这些野生物种及其同族的生存提供了一线希望。这些真菌-白鼻症的罪魁祸首已经危及了整个野生蝙蝠物种的生存，致使其濒临灭绝边缘。
The effectiveness of the potential cure could be seen on May 19. As darkness approached, scientists gathered near caves in Hannibal, Mo. That night, they released 150 treated bats back into the wild. Last fall, those same bats had been suffering from white-nose syndrome.
这种潜在治疗方法的效果可在5月19日揭晓答案。随着黑夜降临，科学家在密苏里州汉尼巴尔洞穴附近集合。当晚，他们将150只去年秋天患了白鼻症且已经过治疗的野生蝙蝠放回自然。
Over the past decade, this infection has claimed the lives of more than 5.7 million bats in North America. But on that Tuesday, researchers declared the treated animals healthy enough to return to the caves they call home. In short order, each flew off into the dusky night sky.
过去十年中，此类真菌感染已夺走了近570万只北美野生蝙蝠的生命。但是在周二，研究人员宣布经过治疗的蝙蝠已足够健康，他们可以回家了。
Scientists have explored many treatments for white-nose syndrome, but that evening marked the first time treated bats had been returned to the wild. Biologist Craig Willis, who studies bats at the University of Winnipeg in Canada, says he's encouraged by the success. At the same time, "there's still a lot we need to know [about bats and the treatment] before we can get close to calling this or anything else a 'cure,'" says Willis, who was not involved in the project.
科学家寻找了多种白鼻症的治疗方法。但是那晚标志着第一次经过治疗的蝙蝠已经重返野外生活。加拿大温尼伯大学的生物学家Craig Willis从事蝙蝠研究，他表示自己也被治疗的成功所鼓舞。同时，他表示我们还应该更多的去了解蝙蝠及其治疗方法，然后才能将结果称为治疗方法，尽管他没有参加此次研究项目。
The cobweb-like mat of fibers shrouding the hibernating little brown bat in this cave is the fungus responsible for white-nose syndrome. This is a particularly extreme infection. Sometimes the fungus appears to be only a sprinkling of powdered sugar around a bat's nose.
冬眠的棕色小蝙蝠身上会被一种网状纤维层覆盖，它就是白鼻症的罪魁祸首，这是一种特殊的极端感染。有些时候这种真菌呈现糖霜状覆盖在蝙蝠鼻子上。
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