DEVELOPMENT REPORT - Fungus Seen as Possible New Weapon Agai

DEVELOPMENT REPORT - Fungus¹ Seen as Possible New Weapon Against Malaria²
By Jill Moss³

Broadcast: Monday, July 11, 2005

I'm Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Development Report.

Some kinds of fungus are used as a natural treatment in agriculture. Farmers use the organisms to control insects that eat crops. Now, scientists report that these same fungus can also kill mosquitoes that spread malaria. Science magazine published two studies on this subject in June.

In one of the studies, a British team tested a fungus called Beauveria bassiana. They treated surfaces with a liquid that contained the fungus. Then they let mosquitoes rest on the surfaces after a meal of blood. Mosquitoes normally rest for several hours after a blood meal. The scientists were searching for a substance that would infect the mosquitoes during this period.

Matt Thomas of Imperial College London led the study. He says the Beauveria bassiana fungus entered the mosquitoes quickly. It took seven days for the mosquitoes to get sick. After that, they reduced their feeding. Ninety percent of them died within fourteen days.

That was good news. Professor Thomas says mosquitoes normally go one to two weeks between feedings. When they bite, they inject the parasite⁴ that causes malaria.

Researchers from the Netherlands and Tanzania did the second study. They treated material with a fungus used to kill locusts⁵. The name of that fungus is Metarhizium anisopliae.

The treated material was hung in several homes in Tanzania. The scientists reported a moderate reduction in the number of malaria-carrying mosquitoes. However, they say the results would still be enough to sharply reduce the spread of malaria.

Malaria is getting more difficult to fight as mosquitoes develop resistance to traditional treatments. Scientists say the fungus could possibly be used instead of chemical poisons to kill mosquitoes. But more research is needed to test how long the fungus can survive in hot environments.

The World Health Organization estimates that malaria kills more than one million people a year, mostly in Africa. Most of the victims are children under the age of five. Pregnant women are also at greater risk from the disease.

The United Nations Millennium⁶ Development Goals aim to reduce deaths among children and pregnant women. Malaria control is one way to do that.

This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss.  I'm Steve Ember.

1 fungus   

n.真菌，真菌类植物

参考例句：

• Mushrooms are a type of fungus.蘑菇是一种真菌。
• This fungus can just be detected by the unaided eye.这种真菌只用肉眼就能检查出。

2 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

3 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

4 parasite   

n.寄生虫；寄生菌；食客

参考例句：

• The lazy man was a parasite on his family.那懒汉是家里的寄生虫。
• I don't want to be a parasite.I must earn my own way in life.我不想做寄生虫，我要自己养活自己。

5 locusts   

n.蝗虫( locust的名词复数 )；贪吃的人；破坏者；槐树

参考例句：

• a swarm of locusts 一大群蝗虫
• In no time the locusts came down and started eating everything. 很快蝗虫就飞落下来开始吃东西，什么都吃。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。