Bacteria used to fight sleeping sickness 用細菌對抗嗜睡病

Scientists believe they have found a way to beat sleeping sickness using a bacterium against the tsetse fly host that spreads the disease to humans.

科學家相信已經找到方法來對抗睡眠病，他們藉著使用一種細菌，防止采采蠅宿主將睡眠病傳染給人類。

In the same way that we have friendly bacteria in our intestines, the tsetse fly harbours bacteria in its midgut, muscle and salivary glands. Experts in Belgium have genetically modified these "good bugs" so they attack the culprit parasite carried by the fly.

人類的腸子裡有好菌，采采蠅也以同樣的方式，將細菌藏在中腸、肌肉與唾腺中。比利時專家基因改造這種「好菌」，讓它們得以攻擊采采蠅挾帶的罪魁禍首寄生蟲。

Sleeping sickness, or human African trypanosomiasis, is a potentially fatal disease that plagues many regions of Africa. Although the number of people being infected with the disease has been going down thanks to better diagnosis and treatment, there were still more than 7,000 new cases recorded in 2010.

睡眠病或稱人類非洲椎蟲病，是一種蔓延非洲許多地區、可能致命的疾病。雖然因為更好的診斷以及治療，感染人數逐漸降低，但2010年新罹患人數仍創下超過7000人的紀錄。

Without treatment, sleeping sickness is fatal. But current therapies often have unpleasant side-effects. And so scientists are seeking alternatives. The Belgium team at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp have focused on finding a way to destroy the sleeping sickness parasite - trypanosome - that the tsetse fly carries. They found bacteria called Sodalis glossinidius, which naturally live in the fly and can be used to mount an attack from the inside.

要是缺乏治療，睡眠病會致命，但目前的療法常會有副作用，因此科學家正在尋找替代療法。比利時安特衛普熱帶醫學研究院的團隊，著重在設法摧毀采采蠅挾帶的睡眠病寄生蟲「椎蟲」。他們發現一種原本就存在采采蠅體內，可從內部發動攻擊的一種Sodalis glossinidius菌。

Altering the genes of the bacteria led it to release fragments of antibodies known as nanobodies against the parasite.

改變這種細菌的基因，可導致它釋出抗體片段「奈米抗體」來對抗寄生蟲。

新聞辭典

harbour：動詞，藏匿，心懷。例句：He’s been harbouring a grudge against her ever since his promotion was refused.（他晉升遭拒之後，對她就心生怨恨。）

thanks to：片語，多虧，因為。例句：The baby is awake thanks to your shouting.（都是因為你大叫，害寶寶醒了。）

alternative：名詞，其他選擇，替代方法。例句：I’m afraid I have no alternative but to ask you to leave.（恐怕我別無選擇，只有請你離開。）