VOA慢速英語:Flu Virus Disarms Immune System's First Responders

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report.

這里是美國之音慢速英語健康報(bào)道。

Infection by the influenza virus may be more complex than scientists first thought. Researchers in the United States reported recently that the virus appears to disarm the body's first line of defense against disease.

流感病毒感染可能比科學(xué)家預(yù)想的要復(fù)雜得多。美國研究人員最近報(bào)告稱，這種病毒似乎可以解除人體抵御疾病的第一道防線。

When the flu virus attacks, the body's natural defenses produce white blood cells. The cells make antibodies design to linkup to the invading microorganism, neutralize it, and in that way, prevent or at least lessen infection. The special cells also keep a memory of the invader so that the natural defenses can fight it again if the individual is re-infected. That is the traditional understanding of how the body fights the flu virus.

當(dāng)流感病毒來襲時(shí)，人體的天然防線會(huì)生成白細(xì)胞，這種細(xì)胞產(chǎn)生各種抗體用于和入侵微生物相結(jié)合并消滅它，通過這種方式來防止或至少減輕感染。這種特殊細(xì)胞還能記住入侵者，這樣人體的天然防線可以在再次感染時(shí)對付它。這是人體如何對抗流感病毒的傳統(tǒng)認(rèn)識(shí)。

Now, biologists have discovered how the virus can disarm those white blood cells, known as B cells. Hidde Ploegh led the team of researchers, he is with the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

目前，生物學(xué)家已經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)這種病毒如何瓦解這些被稱為B細(xì)胞的白細(xì)胞。 Hidde Ploegh領(lǐng)導(dǎo)了這個(gè)研究團(tuán)隊(duì)，他就職于馬薩諸塞州劍橋市的懷特黑德生物醫(yī)學(xué)研究所。

Studies with genetically-bred mice suggest the flu virus enters the B cells and interferes with the production of antibodies, this can kill the cells and the body's first line of defense.

對基因繁殖小白鼠的研究顯示這種流感病毒會(huì)進(jìn)入B細(xì)胞并干擾抗體的生成，這樣做能殺死這些細(xì)胞，瓦解人體的第一道防線。

If true, says Mr Ploegh, the process of infection may be more complex than scientists have thought.

Ploegh先生表示，如果這一點(diǎn)屬實(shí)，感染的過程可能比科學(xué)家們想象的要更加復(fù)雜。

"And so we think that this really provides a new window on how the virus goes about its business. It may have implications in terms of explaining why certain strains of flu cause a nastier version of the disease than others," said Ploegh.

他說，“因此我們認(rèn)為這提供了一個(gè)新的窗口去了解這種病毒如何運(yùn)作。它可能在解釋為什么某些菌株的流感引起的疾病會(huì)更加厲害方面具有一定影響。”

Normally, the frontline antibodies occupy lung cells to protect the body against future viral invasion through breathing.

通常情況下，一線抗體占領(lǐng)肺細(xì)胞保護(hù)人體免受未來病毒通過呼吸入侵。

But the flu virus having disabled the antibodies, may instead target lung cells. In that way, the virus blocks the antibody's ability to remember the deadly invader, and labeling the virus to launch an attack on the body's defenses.

但使得抗體失效的這種流感病毒可能轉(zhuǎn)而以肺細(xì)胞為目標(biāo)。這樣一來，這種病毒會(huì)阻斷抗體記憶并標(biāo)注它的能力，并對人體防御系統(tǒng)發(fā)起攻擊。

"So this suggests that the initial encounter of the very type of white blood cell that we think defends us against the virus may be taken out by this initial wave of infection," said Ploegh.

他說，“這表明我們認(rèn)為可以保護(hù)我們免受病毒侵?jǐn)_的這種白細(xì)胞可能會(huì)被第一波感染所瓦解。”

By neutralizing an interfering with the body's 'front line troops', Mr Ploegh says the flu virus has more time to reproduce and establish itself in the cells, that keeps the immune system from developing a second line of defense.

Ploegh表示，通過消除人體“一線衛(wèi)士”的干擾，流感病毒有更多時(shí)間在細(xì)胞中復(fù)制繁殖，這可以防止免疫系統(tǒng)生成第二道防線。

A report on how influenza overcomes the body's immune system was published in the journal Nature.

一份關(guān)于流感病毒如何克服人體免疫系統(tǒng)的報(bào)告發(fā)表在《自然》雜志上。