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Salmonella Take Advantage of Our Battle Plan

Last month's salmonella outbreak got over 1,500 people sick. And one reason salmonella may be such a heavy hitter is that it actually hijacks our immune response for its own benefit. That's according to a study in the journal Nature. [Citation to come.]

上个月沙门氏菌大爆发撂倒了1500多人。沙门氏菌威力如此强大的原因之一可能是人体的免疫反应被它利用了。这是刊登在《自然》杂志上的一项研究得出的结果。

Bacteria in our gut gobble up things like sugars and fatty acids, which they can break down either through respiration or fermentation. Respiration provides a bigger energy kick. But it requires oxygen, which is sparse in the gut. So most bacteria go the fermentation route.

我们内脏里的细菌会吞噬糖类和脂肪酸一类的物质,它们通过呼吸作用和发酵作用可以分解此类物质。呼吸作用能够为细菌提供更大的能量,但这个过程需要氧,而内脏里氧气稀薄,因此大多数细菌都是利用发酵作用来分解上述物质的。

Except salmonella. Because it’s adapted to use the respiration route. Not with oxygen, but via a sulfur compound—something most bacteria can't do.

不过,沙门氏菌就是个例外了。因为它能通过呼吸作用分解糖类和脂肪酸。不过在这过程中不是利用的氧,而是利用一种硫化物,其他大多数细菌是没有这种能力的。

The insidious thing is that the sulfur compound the salmonella feast on is a by-product of the attack our white blood cells launch against the invaders. So by protecting ourselves, we're also ensuring that salmonella stay well-fed. Because a more inflamed gut allows salmonella bacteria to outcompete good bacteria, and explode in numbers. And the little buggers also use our attempts to expel them with vomiting and diarrhea. Those are both excellent ways for the bugs to get to their next victims.

令人无奈的是,沙门氏菌的得力助手——硫化物是人体内白细胞攻击入侵病毒时产生的副产品。也就是说,我们在保护自身的同时,沙门氏菌也得到了很好的滋养。因为内脏炎症越严重,沙门氏菌就能战胜有益细菌,并迅猛增殖。人们呕吐、腹泻会把沙门氏菌排出体外,不过这一点也被它们利用了,因为这是它们感染下一个目标的绝佳途径。

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