美国国家公共电台 NPR--南非狮子新冠肺炎检测呈阳性

Lions in South Africa test positive for COVID-19

Transcript¹

Scientists at a zoo in South Africa have found that zookeepers have spread COVID-19 to lions. The infections raise concerns about the virus spreading into the wild.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

In South Africa, scientists have found that zoo handlers infected captive lions with COVID. The big cats recovered. But the story doesn't end there. NPR's Eyder Peralta explains why this bit of science matters.

EYDER PERALTA, BYLINE²: Of course, we have to start with the big, burning question. How exactly do you swab a lion's throat to test for COVID?

MARIETJIE VENTER: You need to tranquilize it and then see that it's sleeping. And then you tranquilize it again until it doesn't growl³ (laughter) before you put your hand down its throat.

PERALTA: That's Dr. Marietjie Venter, who studies zoonotic respiratory viruses at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. She and her team actually did put their hands down a lion's throat at a private South African zoo. And it confirmed that the sick lions had COVID-19. And then they sequenced the RNA and found the exact same strain in one of the lion keepers.

VENTER: It was the big cat keepers. And so he was going into the cages to feed them and also to clean the cages.

PERALTA: What her study found is that humans were, indeed, infecting big cats - lions and possibly pumas⁴. And that is a problem for two reasons. First, we're not sure how COVID could affect an already vulnerable species. In this case, the animals got sick but survived. And secondly⁵, the scientists kept testing the big cats. And they remained positive for about seven weeks. Imagine, she says, if the wild lion population got infected.

VENTER: The worry is really that if it established there that we may end up with new variants⁷ that we don't know about. And it comes as a surprise.

PERALTA: Indeed, Dr. Venter says, in other parts of the world, COVID has become established in wild animal populations. In the U.S., scientists have found COVID running rampant⁸ through the wild deer population, potentially creating a variant⁶ factory.

VENTER: So we don't want a similar situation here.

PERALTA: Dr. Venter says they are warning the South African government to take precautions, making sure that as people come into contact with animals, they take some mitigation efforts, like wearing a mask - and also putting into place enough surveillance to understand how COVID is moving through the wild populations and what mutations may be happening.

FELIX LANKESTER: I mean, it shouldn't surprise us, given the nature of the coronavirus that we're dealing⁹ with.

PERALTA: That is Dr. Felix Lankester, who studies zoonotic infectious diseases in Africa with Washington State University. Scientists believe the SARS-CoV-2 virus jumped from an animal to a human, so it's not surprising, he says. But now it's jumping from a human to an animal. And it won't be surprising if it jumps back to humans.

LANKESTER: It's entirely¹⁰ possible that a strain that is circulating in a wild animal population could mutate and evolve and then spill back into humans with severe consequences.

PERALTA: He says these types of studies should serve as a warning. The next big variant, the next big pandemic, could jump from any one of these animals. The least we should do, he says, is keep a close eye on where that is likely to be happening, so it doesn't come as a surprise.

Eyder Peralta, NPR News, Cape¹¹ Town, South Africa.

(SOUNDBITE OF STAY THERE'S "ELEVATOR VIBES")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 growl   

v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣

参考例句：

• The dog was biting,growling and wagging its tail.那条狗在一边撕咬一边低声吼叫，尾巴也跟着摇摆。
• The car growls along rutted streets.汽车在车辙纵横的街上一路轰鸣。

4 pumas   

n.美洲狮( puma的名词复数 )；彪马；于1948年成立于德国荷索金劳勒(Herzogenaurach)的国际运动品牌；创始人：鲁道夫及达斯勒。

参考例句：

• Pumas are large, cat-like animals which are found in America. 美洲狮是一种体形似猫的大动物，产于美洲。 来自新概念英语第三册
• But forget that for the pumas and lynx at the Queens Zoo. 而皇后动物园的美洲狮和猞猁却完全不吃这一套。 来自互联网

5 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

6 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

7 variants   

n.变体( variant的名词复数 )；变种；变型；（词等的）变体

参考例句：

• Those variants will be preserved in the'struggle for existence". 这些变异将在“生存竞争”中被保留下来。 来自辞典例句
• Like organisms, viruses have variants, generally called strains. 与其他生物一样，病毒也有变种，一般称之为株系。 来自辞典例句

8 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

9 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

10 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

11 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。