海洋哺乳動物中首次發現甲流病毒
U.S. researchers said Wednesday they have detected for the first time the H1N1 virus in elephant seals off the coast of central California.
美國研究人員15日說，他們在加利福尼亞州海域的海象身上首次發現了甲型H1N1流感病毒。The H1N1 strain is the same one that emerged in humans in 2009 and it's the first report of that flu strain in any marine mammal, researchers at the University of California, Davis reported in the journal PLOS ONE.
相同的甲流病毒在2009年在人類身上首次出現，而這是首次在海洋哺乳動物身上發現甲流病毒，美國加州大學戴維斯分校的研究人員當天在美國《科學公共圖書館綜合卷》上報告說。Between 2009 and 2011, the researchers tested nasal swabs from more than 900 marine mammals from 10 different species off the Pacific Coast from Alaska to California. They detected H1N1 infection in two elephant seals and antibodies to the virus in an additional 28 elephant seals, indicating more widespread exposure.
2009年至2011年間，他們採集了生活在美國沿太平洋海岸從阿拉斯加到加利福尼亞的10種不同品種900多隻海洋哺乳動物的鼻拭子標本。經檢測，研究人員在兩頭海象身上發現了甲流病毒，另在28頭海象身上發現甲流病毒抗體，這說明或許有更多的海象接觸到甲流病毒。
Neither infected seal appeared to be ill, indicating marine mammals may be infected without showing clinical signs of illness.
兩頭被檢測出甲流病毒的海象均沒有表現出患病症狀，這說明它們可能感染甲流病毒但不會發病。The researchers said the seals tested negative before they went to sea in early 2010 but they tested positive when they returned from sea in spring 2010. They suspected that exposure occurred in the seals before they reached land, either while at sea or upon entering the near-shore environment.
研究人員表示，2010年2月兩頭海象從陸地進入大海前，它們的甲流病毒檢測還呈陰性，但當它們4、5月從海里返回時，檢測卻呈陽性。海象身上都有標記並被衛星跟蹤，在海中不太可能與人直接接觸。研究人員因此推測，海象接觸到甲流病毒或許在上岸前。The researchers advised people who handle marine mammals, such as veterinarians and animal workers, to wear personal protective gear in a bid to avoid the possibility of infection.
研究人員建議，可能與海洋哺乳動物接觸的人員應佩戴防護裝備，以免受病毒感染。
