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The Double-Edged Sword of Antibiotics 使用抗生素，当心双面刃

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课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

In 1946, just a year after winning the Nobel Prize for discovering penicillin, Sir Alexander Fleming noted the Achilles’ heel of antibiotics: “the production of resistant strains of bacteria.” Indeed, the greatest medicine in history has gradually become less effective. The incredibly rapid reproduction of bacteria combined with their ability to impart acquired resistance to other bacteria by transferring genetic material have led to today’s ‘superbugs’ : bacteria that are refractory to all conventional antimicrobial treatment.

在1946年，诺贝尔奖得主亚力山大佛莱明发现了盘尼西林后一年，他写出了抗生素的致命弱点：「产生了具抗药性的菌株」。千真万确，人类史上最伟大的药物已经逐渐地失效。细菌以惊人的速度不断复制，还能藉由交换遗传物质把衍生出的抗药性转给其他细菌，导致了如今的「超级病菌」：极顽强能对抗所有传统抗生素疗法的新种病菌。

Several factors, such as overuse of antibiotics in hospitals, and, possibly, widespread use of antibiotics in livestock farming, have hastened the development of antibiotic resistance. Currently in the U.S., 90,000 people die each year from bacterial infections acquired in hospitals, and 70 percent of these bacteria are resistant to at least one antibiotic drug.

若干因素，像是医院里过度使用抗生素，以及或许畜牧农业广泛地使用了抗生素，都加速导致抗生素的药性减弱。目前美国每年九万人因为在医院感染病菌而死亡，而其中百分之七十的病菌至少已经对一种抗生素产生了抗药性。

A new generation of drugs, called ‘Ramp’ antimicrobials, is under development to treat resistant strains of bacteria. By emulating the body’s own defense mechanisms, Ramp drugs are much more effective than current antibiotics, and some researchers believe this will make it less likely for microbes to develop resistance to Ramp drugs.

一种称为「兰普」的新一代的药品已经在研发中，专门用来对付具抗药性的病菌。借着模仿身体内的防卫机制，兰普比目前的抗生素有效得多，而且有些研究人员认为它比较不会让病菌产生抗药性。

Other researchers disagree: should Ramp-resistant bacteria arise, our natural bacterial defenses would be seriously compromised. If this occurred, even simple scratches would take far, far, longer to heal.

另外有些研究人员持不同看法：倘若病毒对兰普产生了抗药性，人类的自然免疫力就会大为削弱。一旦事已至此，即使单纯的刮伤，也必须花很久很久的时间才能痊愈。

Vocabulary

单词发音

Sir [sɝ] n.（大写）爵士

Achilles’ heel 致命弱点, (尤指某人个性中可导致一败涂地的)缺陷

strain [stren] n.（动植物的）种，品种

impart [ɪmˋpɑrt] v. 分给；给予；传授[(+to)]

superbug [ˋsupɚbʌg] n.【口】（用常规方法难以消除的）超级病菌

refractory [rɪˋfræk͵torɪ] adj. 有抵抗力的

conventional [kənˋvɛnʃən!] adj. 按惯例的; 因袭的; 传统的

antimicrobial [ˌæntɪmaɪ'krobɪəl] adj. 抗菌的; n. 抗菌剂，杀菌剂

livestock [ˋlaɪv͵stɑk] n.（总称）家畜

hasten [ˋhesn] v. 催促；加速

emulate [ˋɛmjə͵let] v. 效仿﹐模仿

arise [əˋraɪz] v. 产生，出现，形成

compromise [ˋkɑmprə͵maɪz] v. 连累，危及

scratch [skrætʃ] n. 抓痕；擦伤

Sentence of the Day

There can be too much of a good thing.

有时会乐极生悲。

too much of a good thing 好事过头反成坏事；好事过头

课文讲解

Sarah is having brunch with her friend Howard at a juice bar:  莎拉和好朋友霍华在一处鲜果吧用早午餐：

S: That cough sounds nasty.

听你那咳嗽声，好像情况满严重的。

H: (coughs) Yeah. Y’know, a friend suggested I take antibiotics, but almost all upper respiratory infections like this are viral, so antibiotics would be silly.

（咳嗽）是啊。妳晓得有一位朋友建议我服用抗生素，不过几乎所有像这类上呼吸道感染都是病毒引起的，所以其实服抗生素没有用。

S: They sure would. Unnecessary use of antibiotics and people not completely finishing a course have contributed significantly to the problem of superbugs.

就是嘛。非必要地使用抗生素再加上一般人往往不做完整的疗程，都使得超级病菌造成严重的问题。

H: Right. Not finishing a course of antibiotics allows any surviving bacteria the chance to build up resistance to that drug. You wonder what on earth people used to do to fight bacteria.

对的。一般人用抗生素不做完整个疗程，结果让残余的病菌有机会增强抗药性。妳会想以前的人究竟怎么样对抗病毒的。

S: Mostly, they used natural herbs. Like during the Black Plague, doctors used medicinal plants such as thyme and lavender to ward off infection.

大多数情况他们都用草药。譬如黑死病的年代，医生采用药用植物像是百里香和熏衣草来避免感染。

H: But lots of people still died. Even if those herbs work, obviously they’re not as powerful as modern medicine. So why bother?

但是许多人仍然死了。即使那些草药有用，很明显地它们不像如今的药品那么有效。所以啊，何必麻烦呢？

S: Well, for one thing, research suggests the antibacterial oils in those herbs don’t promote bacterial resistance.

不过至少研究显示出那些植物里所含的抗菌精油不会增强病菌的抵抗力。

H: OK, but under American law, herbal products can’t claim to cure anything, only promote a general effect.

好，不过根据美国法律，植物产品不能宣称有疗效，只能促进整体的效果。

S: Nevertheless, the more we can battle bacteria without antibiotics, the more effective antibiotics will remain when they’re really needed.

即便如此，倘若我们愈是能够不藉抗生素来抵御病菌，一旦我们需要它时，它才能更为发挥功效。

H: You’re right there. Then maybe what I need now is an OJ with echinacea.

这点妳是对的。或许我现在需要的是一杯有紫锥花的橘子汁【注】。

【注】：口语中OJ是柳澄汁orange juice的缩写。

－by Iain Ferguson

Vocabulary

单词发音

nasty [ˋnæstɪ] adj. 严重的

respiratory [rɪˋspaɪrə͵torɪ] adj. 呼吸的

viral [ˋvaɪrəl] adj. 病毒（性）的﹐病毒引起的

contribute to 对某事起促成作用

plague [pleg] n. 瘟疫

medicinal [məˋdɪsn!] adj. 药的；药用的；有药效的

thyme [taɪm] n.【植】麝香草属植物；百里香

lavender [ˋlævəndɚ] n.【植】熏衣草

ward off 避开; 挡住; 防止 to try to keep away someone or something that would hurt you

bother [ˋbɑðɚ] v. 麻烦，费心

claim [klem] v. 自称，声称；主张[Y][+to-v][+（that）]

echinacea [ˌekɪ'neɪsiə] n. 紫锥花；紫锥菊；紫雏菊

Sentence of the Day

They may help when you're feeling green around the gills.

当你感觉恶心想吐时，这东西或许帮得上忙。

green around the gills 欲吐的样子

gill [gɪl] n.（鱼）鳃