VOA常速英语2014--Scientists Decode Tsetse Fly Genome 科学家解密采采蝇基因序列

 

Scientists Decode¹ Tsetse Fly Genome 科学家解密采采蝇基因序列

Scientists have mapped the genetic² code of the tsetse fly, the insect responsible for African sleeping sickness.  They said the findings could lead to better repellents and control efforts and boost vaccine³ research.

科学家已经绘制出采采蝇的基因序列，这种害虫能导致非洲睡眠病。他们说这一发现将有助于生产更好的驱虫剂，想出更好的控制手段并促进疫苗研究。

The World Health Organization reports African sleeping sickness occurs in 36 sub-Saharan countries. The bite of a tsetse fly transmits parasites⁴ that could eventually reach the central nervous system causing confusion, sensory⁵ problems and poor coordination⁶. It also disrupts the sleep cycle giving the disease its name.

世界卫生组织报道有36个撒哈拉南部非洲国家都出现非洲睡眠症，被采采蝇叮咬后，寄生虫能最终抵达中枢神经系统，导致意识模糊、感知和协调障碍，还能破坏睡眠周期，这种病因此得名。

The WHO said drug treatment is “complex,” but without it the disease is usually fatal. Efforts to control tsetse populations brought the number of new cases below 10,000 for the first time in 2009. In 2012, just over 7,200 new cases were reported.

世卫组织称药物治疗很“复杂”，但如果不治疗，这种疾病通常是致命的。多亏了控制采采蝇数量的努力，2009年这种疾病病例首次降到一万个以下。2012年只报道发生了7200个。

Serap Aksoy is a professor of epidemiology of microbial diseases at the Yale School of Public Health. She and her colleagues in the U.S., Africa and elsewhere began searching the tsetse fly’s DNA⁷ for its genetic code 10 years ago. The WHO provided initial funding. In all, the project cost $10 million.

Serap Aksoy是耶鲁公共卫生学院微生物疾病流行病学教授，她和在美国、非洲等地的同事10年前就开始寻找采采蝇的DNA来绘制基因序列，世卫组织提供初始资金，这个项目共耗资1000万美元。

“The genetic code is the blueprint⁸ of the fly that is responsible for making all the proteins that are involved in all of its functions, essentially⁹. These are involved in every aspect of the fly’s essential structure and function. They’re basically the parts list that an organism is made from,” said Aksoy.

“基因序列是这种苍蝇身上所有制造负责进行各种功能的蛋白质的蓝图，涉及苍蝇的基本结构和功能，基本上是构成生物的零件表。”

African sleeping sickness is the name given when the disease affects people. When found in animals it’s called Nagana.

非洲睡眠症是在人患上这种疾病时叫的名字，动物患上的这种病叫那加那病。

“Sleeping sickness, along with Nagana, have hindered public health and development of agriculture in Africa for centuries. This is a very neglected disease and hence limited amounts of research funds have gone into the study of this insect and this disease. So, we’re really excited that this will be a breakthrough for control,” she said.

“睡眠症和那加那病几个世纪来一直阻碍着非洲的公共健康和农业发展，这种疾病不被重视，因此用来进行研究这种害虫及其疾病的研究资金很少，所以我们很高兴能在控制方面取得突破。”

The genome could help researchers better understand just how functions within the tsetse fly work.

这一基因序列能帮助研究者更好地理解采采蝇的功能是如何进行的。

She said, “These included, for example, olfaction, which determines smell. What we call gustation, which is taste, vision, reproduction, digestion¹⁰, blood feeding, immunity¹¹ and symbiosis¹². So, these were the kind of things, which we felt represented bottlenecks¹³ in [the] fly’s biology. And as we decoded¹⁴ the genome we particularly looked for proteins involved in these processes.”

“比如，嗅觉决定了气味，而味觉与味道有关，还有视觉、繁殖、消化、血液输送、免疫和共生，我们认为所有这些都是苍蝇生物学中的瓶颈，所以我们解密基因序列，也就是在寻找涉及这些过程的蛋白质。”

Olfaction is important, for example, because one of the best ways to control the flies is with traps. These traps use different scents¹⁵ to attract them.

比如说，嗅觉很重要，因为控制苍蝇的最佳办法是用陷阱，这些陷阱使用不同的气味来吸引苍蝇。

“There are many such traps that have been developed for tsetse flies. But they are not necessarily all efficient at the same rate and not available for some of the important species that transmit the human disease. Scientists can now make better traps that would be more efficient in attracting flies or they can make repellents that may be put on animals on people,” she said.

“目前针对采采蝇的陷阱已经很多了，但这些陷阱的有效性不一样，不适用于一些传播人类疾病的重要品种。科学家现在能制作更好的陷阱，能更有效地吸引苍蝇，能制造可弄在动物和人身上的驱虫剂。”

Aksoy said it’s not clear whether the research could lead to better treatment drugs. But, she says, the information could help vaccine development. She added the research has led to the training of many young African scientists, who will further study the tsetse fly genome.

Aksoy说尚不清楚这一研究是否能促成更好的治疗药物，但她说这些信息将有助于疫苗开发。她还说这一研究已帮助培训了很多年轻的非洲科学家，他们将进一步研究采采蝇的基因序列。

Genome research currently is underway for other parasitic¹⁶ diseases, including leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis and Chagas.

目前正在进行其他寄生虫疾病的基因序列研究，包括利什曼病、嗜眠病和查加斯病。

1 decode   

vt.译（码），解（码）

参考例句：

• All he had to do was decode it and pass it over.他需要做的就是将它破译然后转给他人。
• The secret documents were intercepted and decoded.机密文件遭截获并被破译。

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 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

4 parasites   

寄生物( parasite的名词复数 )； 靠他人为生的人； 诸虫

参考例句：

• These symptoms may be referable to virus infection rather than parasites. 这些症状也许是由病毒感染引起的，而与寄生虫无关。
• Kangaroos harbor a vast range of parasites. 袋鼠身上有各种各样的寄生虫。

5 sensory   

adj.知觉的，感觉的，知觉器官的

参考例句：

• Human powers of sensory discrimination are limited.人类感官分辨能力有限。
• The sensory system may undergo long-term adaptation in alien environments.感觉系统对陌生的环境可能经过长时期才能适应。

6 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

7 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

8 blueprint   

n.蓝图，设计图，计划；vt.制成蓝图，计划

参考例句：

• All the machine parts on a blueprint must answer each other.设计图上所有的机器部件都应互相配合。
• The documents contain a blueprint for a nuclear device.文件内附有一张核装置的设计蓝图。

9 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

10 digestion   

n.消化，吸收

参考例句：

• This kind of tea acts as an aid to digestion.这种茶可助消化。
• This food is easy of digestion.这食物容易消化。

11 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

12 symbiosis   

n.共生（关系），共栖

参考例句：

• They live in a symbiosis with governments that they are financing.他们与他们服务的政府互利共存。
• The symbiosis between social values and political structure has produced extraordinary achievement.社会价值观念和政治结构的共生现象带来了非凡的成就。

13 bottlenecks   

n.瓶颈( bottleneck的名词复数 )；瓶颈路段（常引起交通堵塞）；（尤指工商业发展的）瓶颈；阻碍

参考例句：

• Roadworks are causing bottlenecks in the city centre. 道路施工导致市中心交通阻塞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• At five o'clock in the afternoon the city streets are a series of bottlenecks. 下午五点市中心的街道就成了拥挤不堪的窄路。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

14 decoded   

v.译（码），解（码）( decode的过去式和过去分词 )；分析及译解电子信号

参考例句：

• The control unit decoded the 18 bits. 控制器对这18位字进行了译码。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Scientists have decoded the dog genome. 科学家已经译解了狗的基因组。 来自辞典例句

15 scents   

n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉

参考例句：

• The air was fragrant with scents from the sea and the hills. 空气中荡漾着山和海的芬芳气息。
• The winds came down with scents of the grass and wild flowers. 微风送来阵阵青草和野花的香气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 parasitic   

adj.寄生的

参考例句：

• Will global warming mean the spread of tropical parasitic diseases?全球变暖是否意味着热带寄生虫病会蔓延呢？
• By definition,this way of life is parasitic.从其含义来说，这是种寄生虫的生活方式。