a collaborative effort to engineer the perfect superbug?

製造完美的超級細菌？ 你會怎麼想?

A bug that could kill hundreds of millions of people?

這種超級細菌可能造成數以百萬計的人死亡

Well, it is happening right now.

嗯，這是現正在發生的事情。

We are in the process of creating a superbacterium.

我們正在經歷創造超級細菌的過程中

Bacteria are among the oldest living things on this planet.

細菌是在這個星球上最古老的生命體

The smallest thing we still consider life, they are masters of survival

是目前我們認為最小的生命體， 他們同樣是生存大師

and can be found everywhere.

而且隨處可見。

Most bacteria are harmless to us.

大多數細菌對我們是無害的

Your body hosts trillions of them, and they help you to survive.

我們的身體正茲養著無數能夠幫助我們生存的細菌

But others can invade your body, spread quickly, and kill you.

但有些細菌也能侵入你的身體， 迅速蔓延，最終宰了你

Millions of people used to die as a result of bacterial infections.

細菌感染曾經造成數以百萬計的人們死亡

Until we developed a superweapon—antibiotics.

直到我們開發了超級武器 - 抗生素

Together with vaccinations, antibiotics revolutionized medicine

抗生素與疫苗是近代的革命性藥物

and saved millions of lives.

拯救了數百萬計的生命。

Antibiotics kill the vast majority of susceptible bacteria fairly quickly,

抗生素能夠快速殺死絕大多數"敏感"的細菌

leaving only a small group of survivors

殘留下的一小群倖存者

that our immune system then deals with easily.

我們的免疫系統也能輕鬆的處理掉

How do antibiotics do this?

如何抗生素做到這一點？

Imagine a bacterium as a very complex machine

想像一下， 一個細菌如同一台非常複雜的機器

with thousands of complex processes going on that keep it alive and active.

具有複雜的處理程序， 讓細菌能夠生存並活動

Antibiotics disrupt this complex machinery,

而抗生素能破壞這種複雜的機制，

for example, by interfering with its metabolism,

例如，某些抗生素能通過干擾細菌的代謝過程

slowing down their growth significantly, so they are less of a threat.

使其減緩生長，進而減少細菌的威脅

Other antibiotics attack DNA and prevent it from being replicated,

或是藉由攻擊DNA的複製機轉，

which stops bacteria from multiplying, ultimately killing them.

進而使細菌無法分裂，最終殺死他們

Or by simply ripping the outer layer of the bacteria to shreds,

或是簡單的撕碎細菌的細胞膜，

so that their insides spill out and they die quickly.

進而造成細菌內容物流出，最後快速死亡

All of this without bothering body cells.

而這些機制都不會影響到人體細胞

But now, evolution is making things more complicated.

但現在，生命的進化 讓事情變得更加複雜。

By pure random chance, a small minority of the bacteria invading your body

某些隨機入侵你的身體的細菌

might have evolved a way to protect themselves.

可能已經進化出抗藥性的機轉

For example, by intercepting the antibiotics

例如，通過攔截和改變抗生素分子

and changing the molecule so it becomes harmless.

轉變成為無害的物質

Or by investing energy in pumps that eject the antibiotics

或在"投資"些能量在幫浦上

before they can do damage.

以便在抗生素造成傷害之前排出體內

A few immune bacteria are not that big a deal,

少數具有抗藥性細菌沒什麼大不了

because the immune system can take care of them.

因為免疫系統能好好的料理他們

But if they escape, they might spread their immunity.

但如果他們落跑了， 他們就有可能散播其抗藥性

How can bacteria spread immunity?

細菌是如何散播抗藥性的？

First of all, bacteria have two kinds of DNA:

首先，細菌有兩種 DNA：

the chromosome and small free-floating parts called plasmids.

染色體 和可自由漂移的質體(plasmids)。

They can hug each other and exchange those plasmids

細菌能藉由擁抱對方， 交換這些質粒

to exchange useful abilities.

進而得到有用的能力

This way, immunity can be spread quickly through a population.

這樣，抗藥性可 通過細菌族群迅速蔓延。

Or, in a process called transformation, bacteria can harvest dead bacteria

或在被稱為形質轉換(transformation)的過程中，

and collect DNA pieces.

細菌藉由獲得死菌並收集DNA片段。

This even works between different bacteria species

甚至在不同種類的細菌也能作用

and can lead to superbugs, bacteria that are immune to multiple antibiotics.

最終產生了具有多重抗藥性的超級細菌

A variety of superbugs already exist in the world.

目前已經有許多種超級細菌存在於世界上

Especially hospitals are the perfect breeding grounds for them.

特別是醫院是他們完美的生長溫床

Humans have short memories.

群眾只有短期記憶。

The horrors of the pre-antibiotic era have been forgotten.

抗生素發明前的恐怖時代 早就已經被人遺忘。

Today, we treat this powerful medicine as a commodity

今天，我們把這個強大的藥物作為商品

instead of as the game-changing achievement of science that it is.

而不是一項改變所有規則 的重大科學成就

This has led to a strange disconnect:

這樣也導至一項奇怪的對比：

hundreds of millions of people still don’t have access

在發展中國家，成千上萬人

to antibiotics in developing countries,

還無法使用抗生素

while in other parts of the world antibiotics are prescribed too freely

而同時，在世界的其他地方 抗生素卻取得簡單

and taken without care.

並過度濫用

Antibiotics should be a last-resort drug,

抗生素應做為一種"最終手段"的藥物，

not something you take because your cold is annoying.

而不是僅因為感冒很煩人就亂吃 (感冒多為病毒引起)

Another serious problem is antibiotic use in meat production.

而另一個嚴重的問題是 抗生素在肉類生產的濫用

At any particular point in time, humanity holds

在今日，任何特定的時間點裡，

between 20 and 30 billion animals as livestock.

人類圈養了二十到三十億隻動物牲畜

To make meat cheaper, many animals are held in horrible conditions,

為了使肉更便宜，許多動物 在不良的環境下飼養，

in very tight spaces, and in unhygienic conditions,

在極狹小的空間， 與不衛生的條件下，

the perfect breeding ground for disease.

是滋生疾病完美的溫床

So many animals are given antibiotics to kill as many bacteria as possible

因此，抗生素使用在動物身上， 只為了盡可能殺死更多的細菌

and prevent them from getting sick.

並防止細菌致病

Because a cheeseburger has to cost a dollar.

就只因為一個漢堡就值一美元

Unsurprisingly, as a result of this system,

在這樣的狀況下所造成的結果就是

we have created more and more bacteria

我們已經"創造"出 越來越多的

that are resistant to antibiotics.

具有抗藥性的細菌

To counteract this, we use different antibiotics

為了解決這個問題，我們 同時使用不同的抗生素

and we have another secret weapon: there are specific antibiotics

此外，我們還有一個秘密武器： 特效抗生素

that are used to wipe out bacteria that have developed resistance.

是用來消滅已具有抗藥性的細菌

There are strict rules for using these to avoid the creation of a superbacterium.

為避免細菌再次產生抗藥性 使用這些抗生素有嚴格的限制

Or so we thought.

我們是這麼想的...

In late 2015, scary news arrived from China.

在2015年末， 中國傳來了一則可怕的新聞

Resistance against Colistin, a last-ditch antibiotic,

克痢黴素(Colistin) 抗生素的最後防線

had been discovered.

抗藥性細菌已經被發現

Colistin is an old drug and was rarely used, because it can damage the liver.

克痢黴素是一種舊藥， 因為會損害肝臟很少使用

So there was little resistance against it, which made it a great

也由於細菌對它幾乎沒有抵抗力，

antibiotic of last resort for certain complex infections that occur in hospitals

使得它成為在醫院發生的複雜感染 不得不使用的抗生素

to fight bacteria that have become immune to a whole bunch of other drugs.

用來對抗已經具有多重抗藥性的細菌

Bacteria resistance to Colistin is very, very bad news.

細菌能夠抵抗痢黴素 是件非常非常壞的消息。

It might destroy a last line of defense and lead to a whole lot of dead people.

它可能會摧毀抗生素的最後防禦線 並導致大量民眾死亡

How could this happen?

這是怎麼發生的呢？

Millions of animals in Chinese pig farms have been given Colistin for years.

在中國的養殖場，數以百萬計的豬隻 已經使用克痢黴素多年。

Resistant bacteria developed, spreading first from animal to animal,

抗藥生的細菌不斷發展，傳播 首先從動物到動物，

and then to humans without being noticed.

然後，在沒有注意的情況下 傳播到人類身上

On an average day, there are over 100,000 flights on Earth,

在地球上， 平均每天有超過10萬飛機航班，

kind of connecting every human on the planet.

像是把整個星球上的人類連結在了一起

By creating the modern world, we have also built the infrastructure

在我們創建現代世界過程中， 我們同時也製造了

for a dangerous pandemic.

疾病大流行的良好傳播途徑

Still, we don’t need to panic just yet.

儘管如此，我們仍不需要恐慌

Bacteria evolve, humans do research, new antibiotics are developed

細菌即使在進化， 但人類致力於開發新型抗生素

as old ones become obsolete, technology is advancing every day.

雖然舊的過抗生素不敷使用， 但人類技術每天都在進步

The problem is real and serious, but the fight is far from over.

問題是真實而嚴峻的， 但這場戰爭還遠遠沒有結束。

If humanity plays its cards right, superbugs might turn out to be

如果人類打出一副好牌 超級細菌也可能變成

not very super after all.

不是那麼的...超級

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譯者:LHW0415

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