Hi, this is Alex, from MinuteEarth.
嗨 我是亚历克斯 这里是《分钟地球》
Lyme disease is an illness of the modern age.
莱姆病是一种现代病
Even though it has affected humans for thousands of years,
尽管莱姆病已经影响了人类数千年
that was at such low levels
但由于它极低的发病率
that Lyme remained unnamed by science until 1976,
直到1976年莱姆病才被科学家命名
when dozens of people in Lyme, Connecticut
源于当时许多康涅狄格州莱姆市市民
all came down with a distinctive target-shaped rash, fevers, and unusual arthritic symptoms.
出现了特有的靶形红斑 发热 和奇怪的关节炎症状
And doctors discovered that they all had a tick-borne disease
医生发现患者们都感染了一种以蜱为传播媒介
caused by the Borrelia bacteria.
由伯氏疏螺旋体引起的疾病
Since then, Lyme disease has had an astronomical rise.
从那时起 莱姆病的患病率便直线上涨
Hundreds of thousands of people around the world
现在每年在全世界范围内
now get infected every year
有成千上万的人感染莱姆病
and that’s because of another small creature–the mouse
这是因为另一种小型生物老鼠造成的
Ticks like to feed on the blood of mice and other small mammals,
蜱虫喜欢以老鼠和其他小型哺乳动物的血液为食
but some hosts, like opossums and squirrels
但有些宿主 例如负鼠和松鼠
gobble up most of the blood-suckers so quickly
会迅速吃掉大部分蜱虫
that they rarely get infected,
所以即使蜱虫携带了病原体
even when the tick is a carrier.
它们也很少被感染
Mice, on the other hand, aren’t as effective at grooming,
而老鼠却不太善于清洁梳理毛发
so they remove only half of their ticks,
所以它们只能清理掉大概一半的蜱虫
and as many as 90% of mice
最终 多达90%的老鼠
end up carrying the bacteria in their bloodstream.
血液中都携带了螺旋体
This means that when a tick that’s not yet a carrier bites a mouse,
这意味着当尚未被感染的蜱咬了老鼠
it’s super likely to pick up the bacteria
蜱虫就极有可能被感染
which it can then pass on to you.
然后就有可能将螺旋体传染给你
And over the past few decades,
在过去的几十年里
we’ve changed the world in ways
我们对世界的改变
that have made mice more common than they used to be.
使得老鼠的数量大幅增长
Mice thrive in today’s fragmented landscape of woods,
如今老鼠大量繁殖于分散在各处的林地
farm fields, and suburbs.
农田和郊区中
We’ve killed off many of their predators, too,
我们也杀死了许多老鼠的天敌
allowing mouse numbers to boom.
为老鼠的数量激增创造了条件
Plus, both mice and ticks are spreading further north today
此外 现今老鼠和蜱虫的分布都进一步向北蔓延
because climate change has warmed the winters
因为此前严冬使得它们数量受到控制
that previously kept them in check.
但气候变化已使冬天变暖
All of this has caused the number of infected mice and therefore the number of infected ticks
以上种种原因 都造成被感染的老鼠和蜱虫的数量
to grow in places like Canada, China, and the Czech Republic, as well as back in Connecticut,
在加拿大 中国 捷克共和国 还有它的命名地康涅狄格州等地不断增长
leading to a huge … uptick in lyme disease.
导致了莱姆病患病率大幅提升
So … um… what are we going to do about all this?
所以 我们该做些什么呢？
Well, doctors are starting to identify Lyme Disease symptoms more quickly,
医生们开始更快地辨别莱姆病的症状
so they can treat patients faster.
从而更快治疗病人
And scientists and foresters are focusing their attention
而科学家和森林学家则专注于
on trying to control both ticks, through the use of chemicals,
用化学物质来控制蜱虫的数量
and mice, by managing forests to promote predators.
同时用整治森林 增加天敌的方法来控制老鼠的数量
It’s unclear yet whether these efforts will be successful,
虽然目前尚不清楚这些努力是否会有所成效
but if they are, mice, ticks and Borellia bacteria
但一旦成功 老鼠 蜱虫 和伯氏疏螺旋体
will garner a lot less of the limelight.
都将淡出公众视野
This video was sponsored by the University of Minnesota,
这段视频是由明尼苏达大学赞助的
where students, faculty and staff across all fields of study
在明尼苏达大学 所有领域的学生 和教职员工
are working to solve the Grand Challenges facing society.
都在尝试解决社会面临的巨大挑战
One of these challenges involves advancing public health
其中就有一个关于提高公众健康的挑战
such as by protecting the public from threats like Lyme disease.
包括让公众免受莱姆病等疾病的威胁
Professors Jon Oliver in the School of Public Health
公共卫生学院的Jon Oliver教授
and Benjamin Clarke in the Medical School
和医学院的Benjamin Clarke教授
are working to better characterize how tick-borne diseases spread.
都在尝试更准确地描述蜱传病的传播方式
While Professors Uli Munderloh and Tim Kurtti in the Department of Entomology
而昆虫学研究中的Uli Munderloh教授和Tim Kurtti教授
are advancing our understanding of the biological relationships
增进了我们对蜱虫与它们所携带的病原体
between ticks and the pathogens they harbor.
之间的生物学关系的理解
Putting this knowledge to work will help reduce
将这些研究的成果投入到实践中
the incidence of tick-borne diseases in the years to come.
就能在有效帮助未来降低蜱传病的发病率
Thanks, University of Minnesota.
感谢明尼苏达大学