一場由真菌殺手引發的細菌戰助蝙蝠逃出了死神之手
Biowarfare saves bats from killer fungus
一場由真菌殺手引發的細菌戰助蝙蝠逃出了死神之手
Researchers looking to cure white-nose syndrome - a major killer of American bats - have just reported a major success. A new treatment has saved the lives of infected bats. And it offers a ray of hope for their wild kin. The fungus responsible for white-nose syndrome has already threatened some of their populations with extinction.
據報道究人正尋找白鼻症（一種美國蝙蝠殺滅兇手）的治療方法已經取得了顯著成功。這種可以挽救被感染蝙蝠的新式治療方法爲這些野生物種及其同族的生存提供了一線希望。這些真菌-白鼻症的罪魁禍首已經危及了整個野生蝙蝠物種的生存，致使其瀕臨滅絕邊緣。
The effectiveness of the potential cure could be seen on May 19. As darkness approached, scientists gathered near caves in Hannibal, Mo. That night, they released 150 treated bats back into the wild. Last fall, those same bats had been suffering from white-nose syndrome.
這種潛在治療方法的效果可在5月19日揭曉答案。隨着黑夜降臨，科學家在密蘇里州漢尼巴爾洞穴附近集合。當晚，他們將150只去年秋天患了白鼻症且已經過治療的野生蝙蝠放回自然。
Over the past decade, this infection has claimed the lives of more than 5.7 million bats in North America. But on that Tuesday, researchers declared the treated animals healthy enough to return to the caves they call home. In short order, each flew off into the dusky night sky.
過去十年中，此類真菌感染已奪走了近570萬隻北美野生蝙蝠的生命。但是在週二，研究人員宣佈經過治療的蝙蝠已足夠健康，他們可以回家了。
Scientists have explored many treatments for white-nose syndrome, but that evening marked the first time treated bats had been returned to the wild. Biologist Craig Willis, who studies bats at the University of Winnipeg in Canada, says he's encouraged by the success. At the same time, "there's still a lot we need to know [about bats and the treatment] before we can get close to calling this or anything else a 'cure,'" says Willis, who was not involved in the project.
科學家尋找了多種白鼻症的治療方法。但是那晚標誌着第一次經過治療的蝙蝠已經重返野外生活。加拿大溫尼伯大學的生物學家Craig Willis從事蝙蝠研究，他表示自己也被治療的成功所鼓舞。同時，他表示我們還應該更多的去了解蝙蝠及其治療方法，然後才能將結果稱爲治療方法，儘管他沒有參加此次研究項目。
The cobweb-like mat of fibers shrouding the hibernating little brown bat in this cave is the fungus responsible for white-nose syndrome. This is a particularly extreme infection. Sometimes the fungus appears to be only a sprinkling of powdered sugar around a bat's nose.
冬眠的棕色小蝙蝠身上會被一種網狀纖維層覆蓋，它就是白鼻症的罪魁禍首，這是一種特殊的極端感染。有些時候這種真菌呈現糖霜狀覆蓋在蝙蝠鼻子上。
