AGRICULTURE REPORT - Vitamin E and Poultry Health

AGRICULTURE REPORT - Vitamin E and Poultry¹ Health
By Mario Ritter

Broadcast: Tuesday, August 17, 2004

This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Researchers say extra vitamin E fed to turkeys appears to help control infections from listeria. People who eat foods that contain this bacteria can get listeriosis.

This disease² is especially dangerous to pregnant³ women, newborn babies and people with weakened⁴ defenses. The United States has more than two thousand cases of listeriosis each year. Five hundred people die from it.

Some cases have been linked to poultry products that have not been cooked enough. The researchers found that vitamin E improved the ability of turkeys to fight the growth of listeria. The findings⁵ could help other meat industries as well.

Irene Wesley led the study for the United States Department of Agriculture. Researchers from Iowa State University and the University of Arkansas also took part. The findings appeared in Poultry Science magazine earlier this year.

Vitamin E is found in oils from vegetables, grains and animals. It helps protect some kinds of fatty acids⁶ that are necessary for healthy cells. Vitamin E helps prevent oxygen from combining with these fats to cause damage to cells.

Turkeys need vitamin E for normal development. But the scientists added extra amounts to the diet of two groups of turkeys. The birds were one day old. Two other groups were not given any extra vitamin E. After six weeks, the researchers infected all the young turkeys with listeria. The scientists then tested the birds for the presence⁷ of the bacteria over a period of time.

The results showed that the birds that received extra vitamin E did not get infected as often as the others. The birds that received the largest amount had the lowest number of infections.

The scientists say vitamin E has a similar effect on chickens. They say chickens and turkeys that receive added vitamin E develop more infection-fighting cells called lymphocytes. The increased number of these cells appears to also help protect against other diseases⁸ that can be carried by birds.

Earlier tests at Iowa State showed that extra amounts of vitamin E can improve the quality of meat as well, and keep it fresh longer.

The scientists continue tests. They want to see if vitamin E can stop other dangerous bacteria that can enter food. They are testing it against salmonella and campylobacter.

This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Mario Ritter. This is Steve Ember.

1 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

2 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

3 pregnant   

adj.怀孕的，怀胎的

参考例句：

• She is a pregnant woman.她是一名孕妇。
• She is pregnant with her first child.她怀了第一胎。

4 weakened   

adj.虚弱的v.（使）削弱， （使）变弱( weaken的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The team has been weakened by injury. 这个队因伤实力减弱。
• In his weakened condition, he is very susceptible to cold. 他身体很弱，因此很容易患感冒。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 findings   

n.发现物( finding的名词复数 )；调查（或研究）的结果；（陪审团的）裁决

参考例句：

• It behoves us to study these findings carefully. 我们理应认真研究这些发现。
• Their findings have been widely disseminated . 他们的研究成果已经广为传播。

6 acids   

n.酸( acid的名词复数 )；酸味物质

参考例句：

• Some acids are strong enough to burn the wood. 有些酸的酸性强得可以烧坏木头。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are many amino acids that the body cannot synthesise itself. 有许多种氨基酸人体自身不能合成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 presence   

n.出席；到场；存在

参考例句：

• Her presence lent an air of respectability to the occasion.她的到场使那种场合增添了崇高的气氛。
• His presence is indicative of his willingness to help.他的出席表示他愿意帮忙。

8 diseases   

n.疾病( disease的名词复数 )；弊端；恶疾；痼疾

参考例句：

• Smoking is a causative factor in several major diseases. 抽烟是引起几种严重疾病的病因。
• The illness frequently coexists with other chronic diseases. 这种病往往与其他慢性病同时存在。