新奇事件簿 宠物同榻利与弊（在线收听）

New research suggests that sleeping next to your pet increases your risk of getting sick. Researchers from the University of California-Davis believe pet owners have a greater chance of catching diseases as serious as the bubonic plague, an infection that killed 75 million people across Europe in the fourteenth century. Professor Bruno Chamel did, however, say that although this is extremely rare, it does happen. He said people are safer if they keep Kitty and Fido next to their bed, not on it. He wrote in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases: "There are private places in the household, and I think our pets should not go beyond next to the bed. Having a stuffed animal in your bed is fine, not a real one."

新研究表明与宠物同榻增加患病几率。来自加利福尼亚大学戴维斯分校的研究人员认为，主人患病几率大大增加，最严重的有黑死病，该传染病曾在14世纪席卷欧洲，并造成7500万人死亡。然而，教授布鲁诺·卡米尔认为，虽然这种几率很低，但确实存在。他表示如果主人能将猫狗安排在床边，而不是床上会更安全。他在《新生感染性疾病》杂志上写道：“我们都拥有自己的私密空间，宠物不应该到我们的床上来。在床上放置毛绒宠物玩具还是可以的，不是真的就行。

This research will upset many people who love cuddling up to their pet or getting their face licked by them. Professor Chamel reckons that because people are having fewer children, pets have become replacements. More than 60 per cent of American households have a pet and up to 62 per cent of pet owners let their animals sleep with them, according to Chamel’s research. Chamel has already received many e-mails strongly disagreeing with his research. They say they have slept with their pets throughout their lives and are as healthy as anyone else. Larry Kornegay, president of the American Veterinary Association, agreed, saying: “The benefits of having a pet, whether or not you sleep with it, far outweigh the negatives.”

对于那些喜欢跟宠物亲昵，喜欢让宠物舔舐脸部的主人来说，这项研究将让他们惴惴不安。卡米尔教授认为，随着后代减少，宠物就成为了他们的替代物。根据卡米尔的研究，有超过60%的美国家庭拥有一只宠物，而与宠物同榻的家庭达到了62%。卡米尔还收到了许多表达不满的电邮信件。他们称他们一生都与宠物同眠，但依旧非常健康。美国兽医协会主席拉里表示：“不管是是否与它们同眠，养宠物利大于弊。