Death Toll Rises From Deadly European Bacteria

    European and World Health Organization scientists say a deadly outbreak of E. coli bacteria that has killed 18 people is a rare and virulent¹(致命的) strain of the bacteria. The latest victim died Wednesday night in Germany.

    The United Nations agency said Thursday that preliminary genetic² tests suggest the highly infectious strain is a mutant of two different E. coli bacteria.  A food safety expert at the WHO, Hilde Kruse, said the strain has various characteristics that make it more virulent and toxin-producing than other strains.

    More than 1,500 people in nine European countries have been sickened by the rapid spread of the bacteria, with all but one of the deaths and hundreds of the illnesses occurring in Germany. Hundreds have been hospitalized and several of them are in intensive care.

    Health officials have been unable to find the cause or origin of the outbreak, but similar infections come primarily from contaminated foods.

    With the uncertainty³ surrounding the latest outbreak, concern about European produce is spreading. The United Arab Emirates on Thursday banned the import of cucumbers from Spain, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.

    Russia said it is banning the import of all fresh vegetables from the European Union -- an action the EU immediately called "disproportionate."  The EU, which exported $853 million worth of vegetables to Russia last year, said it would seek an explanation from Moscow.

    Russia said vegetables already imported from EU countries will be seized.  The chief of Russia's consumer protection agency, Gennady Onishchenko, urged his countrymen to avoid imported vegetables in favor of domestic products.

    Germany initially⁴ pointed⁵ to cucumbers from Spain as a possible source of the contamination, but further tests showed that those vegetables were not the cause of the outbreak.

    The erroneous conclusion angered Spanish officials.  Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Spain will seek reparations from authorities in Europe for the damages its vegetable growers have suffered.

    Germany's national disease center says the outbreak started nearly two weeks before the first infections were reported in mid-May.  The infection can result in a secondary disease that attacks the victims' kidneys, sometimes causing seizures⁶, strokes, comas⁷ and death.

    The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said Thursday that the outbreak of the current strain of bacteria has been rarely reported worldwide. It recommended hygiene⁸ and cooking foods thoroughly⁹ to prevent infection.

    Vegetable growers across Europe say they are suffering major economic losses as the mystery goes unsolved.  Spain says it is losing $288 million a week because of import bans and weak demand for the produce, while the Netherlands says it is losing $43 million.

    The president of Spain's produce export trade group said almost all Europeans have stopped buying Spanish vegetables and fruit.

    The World Health Organization said Thursday that it does not recommend any trade restrictions¹⁰ related to the outbreak.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

 

1 virulent   

adj.有毒的，有恶意的，充满敌意的

参考例句：

• She is very virulent about her former employer.她对她过去的老板恨之入骨。
• I stood up for her despite the virulent criticism.尽管她遭到恶毒的批评，我还是维护她。

2 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

3 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

4 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

5 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

6 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句

7 comas   

n.昏迷( coma的名词复数 )

参考例句：

8 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

9 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

10 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制