2007年VOA标准英语-Scientists Search for Allergy-Free Peanut

By Paul Sisco
Washington
31 August 2007
 
According to the U.S. National Institute of Allergies¹ and Infectious Diseases, most severe food allergic² reactions come from nuts, primarily peanuts. And because of that researchers are trying to develop an allergy³- free peanut.  VOA's Paul Sisco reports on promising⁴ new research.

Jill Mindlin's six-year-old daughter, Maya, has severe food allergies. "Being a parent of a kid with as many allergies as Maya has is very stressful and adds another layer to everything we do that other people just don't experience," says Jill.

Peanut and nut allergies are not the most common, but the most severe of all food allergies.  For reasons unknown, the allergy has been rapidly increasing in children, particularly in the industrialized world.

Allergist Dr. Scott Sicherer wonders about the causes, "Is it because children are getting peanuts earlier in their diet, maybe later in their diet? Maybe it is mothers eating peanuts during pregnancy⁵ and breast feeding, or maybe it's just something about our current environment."

Researcher Mohamed Ahmedna at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University believes he has found a way to eliminate allergens from peanuts after harvesting. "The farmer can go on and produce whatever they produce now. We remove the allergens through processing rather than through breeding of the peanut itself."

Initial reports are positive but the processed peanuts have not been tested on humans.

At the University of Florida, food researcher Maria Gallo is trying to grow peanuts without the proteins that trigger most allergic reactions. "If we could disarm⁶ or eliminate these proteins then we would reduce the number of people who are allergic to peanuts significantly."

Finally, at the Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina, a different approach to the problems presented by peanut allergies.  Dr. Wesley Burks, M.D., says, "What we are doing is counterintuitive, we are always asking them not to ingest this."

Dr. Wesley Burks

Dr. Burks is actually giving small, increasing amounts of peanut powder to allergic subjects.  "Our goals in treatment are the desensitization, to make them less sensitive and also to make their peanut allergy go away. What we're seeing is that they really are less sensitive to peanuts.  They accidentally have a bite of something with peanuts in it and they're not reacting."

Other food allergies to milk and egg are more common, but not as severe. But in the United States alone, where there are an estimated 125 food allergy deaths a year, most are blamed on peanuts.

1 allergies   

n.[医]过敏症；[口]厌恶，反感；（对食物、花粉、虫咬等的）过敏症( allergy的名词复数 )；变态反应，变应性

参考例句：

• Food allergies can result in an enormous variety of different symptoms. 食物过敏会引发很多不同的症状。 来自辞典例句
• Let us, however, examine one of the most common allergies; hayfever. 现在让我们来看看最常见的变态反应的一种--枯草热。 来自辞典例句

2 allergic   

adj.过敏的，变态的

参考例句：

• Alice is allergic to the fur of cats.艾丽斯对猫的皮毛过敏。
• Many people are allergic to airborne pollutants such as pollen.许多人对空气传播的污染物过敏，比如花粉。

3 allergy   

n.(因食物、药物等而引起的)过敏症

参考例句：

• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。
• The patient had an allergy to penicillin.该患者对青霉素过敏。

4 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

5 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

6 disarm   

v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和

参考例句：

• The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. 全世界等待伊拉克解除武装已有12年之久。
• He has rejected every peaceful opportunity offered to him to disarm.他已经拒绝了所有能和平缴械的机会。