VOA标准英语2014--Scientists Redouble Efforts After AIDS Virus Rebounds in 'Cured' Baby

 

Scientists Redouble Efforts After AIDS Virus Rebounds¹ in 'Cured' Baby

A baby in the United States who was seemingly cured of HIV - after receiving powerful drugs at birth four years ago - recently tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS. 

The child, known as the "Mississippi baby," made international headlines a year ago when groundbreaking research about the case was announced, giving new hope for treatments that might lead to a cure for AIDS. Despite the latest setback², U.S. researchers are redoubling efforts to put the virus into remission at birth.

A year ago U.S. medical researchers were hopeful about possible new treatment options that could benefit the 250,000 children born each year with the virus that causes AIDS.  Dr. Hannah Gay made headlines for treating a Mississippi baby born to an HIV-infected mother four years ago.  The child was given three powerful HIV drugs immediately after birth and was thought to be cured of the virus.

But Gay and her colleagues got some bad news in early July after tests revealed the toddler is now HIV positive - after 27 months with no treatment.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy³ and Infectious Diseases, says it’s part of trial and error.

"I do not mean to play down the disappointment, but when you are in the discovery phase of research you are going to fail more often than you succeed," he said.

Dr. Deborah Persaud of Johns Hopkins University, along with two of her colleagues, Dr. Hanna Gay and Katherine Luzuriaga, are overseeing research aimed at curing newborns of AIDS.  The New England Journal of Medicine published their groundbreaking research last year.  Undeterred by the latest setback, Persaud is back in the lab looking for answers.

"While our research is focused on the Mississippi baby’s treatment regimens, we have a broadened agenda in trying to figure out how to reach this state of viral admission or cure in affected⁴ children who were not fortunate enough to be able to benefit from a treatment strategy such as the Mississippi baby," she said.

Fauci says researchers now want to find out why HIV rebounded⁵ in the Mississippi baby and how the toddler was able to go so long with the virus in remission.

"So, something was keeping the virus suppressed," he said. "We need to know what that was and we also need to know what triggered it. But there is no guarantee we are going to get a cure; we may be faced with the fact that we do have to treat people indefinitely. We do not know that right now."

Fauci and other HIV /AIDS researchers say they have a lot more work to do to improve testing and treatment in their quest towards prolonged HIV remission in newborns and an eventual⁶ cure for AIDS.

1 rebounds   

反弹球( rebound的名词复数 )； 回弹球； 抢断篮板球； 复兴

参考例句：

• V is the velocity after the gas particle rebounds from the wall. V是粒子从壁上弹开后的速度。
• In the former case, the first body rebounds with practically its original velocity. 在前一种情况下，第一个物体实际上以原来的速度弹回。

2 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

3 allergy   

n.(因食物、药物等而引起的)过敏症

参考例句：

• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。
• The patient had an allergy to penicillin.该患者对青霉素过敏。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 rebounded   

弹回( rebound的过去式和过去分词 )； 反弹； 产生反作用； 未能奏效

参考例句：

• The ball rebounded from the goalpost and Owen headed it in. 球从门柱弹回，欧文头球将球攻进。
• The ball rebounded from his racket into the net. 球从他的球拍上弹回网中。

6 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。