雙語英語:超級細菌

導讀：「甲流」才走，「超級細菌」就來了。該細菌對現有的絕大多數抗生素都「刀槍不入」，近日一名比利時人已死於這種「超級細菌」。一時間，人們可謂談「菌」色變。而有關專家表示，只要防範得當，超級細菌並非 「無葯可治」，人們也無需過分擔心。

A killer bug spreading across the globe like wildfire sounds like something out of a bad sci- fi film. But while this is still the stuff of fantasy， microbiologists are concerned about the news of an enzyme with the potential to convert all bacteria into superbugs resistant to treatment.

一種致命細菌在全球範圍內迅速傳播開來，這聽上去就如同科幻災難片中的情節。儘管這聽上去就像是天方夜譚一樣，但微生物學家們擔心某種酶可以將所有細菌催化成無法消滅的超級細菌。

New Delhi Metallo-1 （NDM-1） is already widespread in India and Pakistan， according to the Lancet Infectious Disease journal. There have also apparently been 50 cases in Britain.

根據《柳葉刀傳染病》雜誌報道，一種名為「新德里金屬蛋白酶—1即「NDM-1」的病菌已經在印度和巴基斯坦地區廣泛傳播。英國國內已出現約50宗病例。

超級細菌來了，我們該怎麼辦？

Worryingly， NDM-1 appears to destroy a major group of antibiotics， the carbapenems - one of the last still to work against other bacteria now resistant to other treatments.

令人擔憂的是，這種「NDM-1」病菌甚至令碳青黴烯類抗生素也束手無策，而碳青黴烯類抗生素通常被認為是對抗耐藥性病菌的最後方法。

So can we stay ahead of these superbugs？ We talked to leading experts to discover what we can do to protect ourselves.

那麼我們能夠戰勝這些超級細菌嗎？我們就如何保護自己這一問題向權威專家們求助。

1. Use an antibacterial body wash/shampoo such as Hibiscrub before， during and after a hospital stay.

1.在入院前，住院期間以及出院後，要使用除菌浴液或洗髮水，例如希必潔液。

目前，大部分醫療研究人員認為，濫用抗生素是導致超級細菌產生的主要原因。

2. If you』re fitted with a catheter， ask for it to be removed as soon as clinically possible， says Professor Mervyn Bibb， a molecular microbiologist at the John Innes Institute， Norwich. 『It is a potential source of infection.』

2. 諾利奇約翰?英尼斯中心分子微生物學家默文?比布教授建議，如果治療時使用導管，記得要求工作人員根據治療需要，及時更換新的導管。他說：「這很有可能引起感染。」

3. Ask hospital staff and visitors to use antiseptic hand gel.

3.要求醫護人員以及探訪者使用除菌洗手液。

4. Take your antibiotics as prescribed： If you don』t finish the course or take them at reduced dose there is a risk you won』t kill all the bacteria， says Professor Bibb. 『Finishing the course will ensure all pathogens are killed. Taking less than the prescribed amount could lead to incrementally resistant strains developing.』

4.比布教授建議要合理使用抗生素：如果你沒有完成治療療程，或是減少藥量，那麼就有可能無法完全消滅病菌。「完成整個治療療程，這會保證所有的病原體都被殺死。劑量不足則會導致病菌的抗藥性逐漸增強。」

超級細菌

5. Watch for signs of redness， swelling and pain around wounds and report it to medical staff.

5.嚴格觀察傷口周圍的變化，一旦發現泛紅、腫脹或疼痛等狀況，要及時向醫生求助。

6. At home， practise good hand hygiene. Wash your hands after going to the loo and before preparing food. Regularly clean door handles， light switches and flushes on loos. Avoid sharing towels. Be vigilant about food hygiene： E. Coli can colonise meat products， such as burgers， so make sure you cook them thoroughly and they are not left bloody.

6.在家時，要養成良好的洗手習慣。如廁後、做飯前切記要洗手。定期清潔廁所門把手、電燈開關以及馬桶。避免與他人共用毛巾。警惕 「病從口入」：大腸桿菌能夠在像漢堡這樣的肉製品上大量繁殖，所以切記要將它們徹底烹熟，不要留有血絲。