中國科學家探明生吃蜈蚣危險

Scientists in China now have hard evidence that eating raw centipedes is a really bad idea.

中國的科學家現(xiàn)在有確鑿的證據(jù)表明，吃生蜈蚣是一個非常糟糕的主意。

That might go without saying in most parts of the world. But centipedes are an established remedy in traditional medicine in China.

在世界上的大部分地區(qū)，這是不言而喻的。但是蜈蚣在中國傳統(tǒng)醫(yī)學中是一種公認的藥物。

As an ancient nostrum for epilepsy, stroke, cancer, tetanus or rheumatoid arthritis, the two-inch-long arthropods are supposed to be eaten dried, powdered or after being steeped in alcohol — not raw.

作為一種治療癲癇、中風、癌癥、破傷風或類風濕性關節(jié)炎的古老秘方，這種兩英寸長的節(jié)肢動物應該被曬干、磨成粉末或浸泡在酒精中后食用——而不是生吃。

But a study published on Monday in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene describes two hospital patients — a mother and son — who ended up with rat lungworms in their brains after eating wild-caught centipedes the son had purchased at a farmer’s market.

但周一發(fā)表在《美國熱帶醫(yī)學與衛(wèi)生雜志》(American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene)上的一項研究描述了兩名醫(yī)院病人——一對母子——在吃了兒子在農貿市場購買的野生蜈蚣后，他們的大腦中出現(xiàn)了鼠肺線蟲的事件。

Rat lungworms — named because they were first found in 1934 in the pulmonary arteries of a Norway rat in Guangzhou, China — can be life-threatening. But usually they infect only people who eat raw snails or slugs.

鼠肺線蟲是1934年在中國廣州的一只挪威鼠的肺動脈中首次發(fā)現(xiàn)的，由此得名。它可能會危及生命，但通常只感染吃生蝸牛或蛞蝓的人。

Those include fans of northern Thai cuisine, children (or sometimes adults) who eat slugs on a dare, and unlucky salad-eaters who accidentally ingest slugs with unwashed lettuce.

這些人有的是因為喜歡泰國北部的美食，有的是吃蛞蝓展示膽量的兒童(有時是成年人)，以及不走運的吃沙拉的人，他們不小心把蛞蝓和沒洗的生菜一起吃了。

In rare cases, lungworms can be picked up from undercooked shrimp or crabs that ate the larvae. The new study is the first proving they can be found in centipedes, too. The patients, a 78-year-old woman and her 46-year-old son, were admitted to Zhujiang Hospital in Guangzhou in 2012 with headaches and stiff necks, signs of meningitis.

吃幼蟲的蝦或螃蟹如果未煮熟，在極少數(shù)情況下也可以提取到肺線蟲。這項新的研究首次證明它們也可以在蜈蚣中找到。這兩名患者——一名78歲的婦女和她的46歲的兒子——2012年被廣州珠江醫(yī)院收治，他們的癥狀為頭痛，脖子僵硬，有腦膜炎的跡象。

“It took us some time to figure out what they were suffering from,” said Dr. Lingli Lu, a neurologist at the hospital and co-author of the study.

“我們花了很長時間才弄清楚他們得了什么病，”該醫(yī)院的神經(jīng)科醫(yī)生、這項研究的合著者陸伶俐(音)說。

After eliminating bacterial and viral causes, she said, the treatment team focused on common parasites like cysticercosis, caused by pork tapeworms, or toxoplasmosis, which comes from cat feces.

她說，在排除了細菌和病毒感染后，治療小組集中研究常見的寄生蟲，如豬絳蟲引起的囊蟲病，或來自貓糞便的弓形蟲病。

Ultimately, she said, a meningitis specialist suggested a test for lungworms. 她說，最終，一位腦膜炎專家建議檢測是否有肺線蟲。

The previously healthy man had listened to someone who told him raw centipedes would prevent winter colds, Dr. Lu said, and his mother “was old and takes anything the son gives her.”

陸伶俐說，這名以前健康狀況良好的男子聽別人告訴他生蜈蚣可以預防冬天感冒，他的母親“年齡大了，會吃兒子給她的任何東西”。

Both patients recovered after treatment with an anti-parasitic drug and corticosteroids.

這兩名病人在用抗寄生蟲藥物和皮質類固醇治療后都康復了。

To confirm their suspicions, the researchers bought 20 live centipedes at the market that the son had patronized and found seven of them teeming with lungworm larvae.

為了證實他們的懷疑，研究人員在兒子光顧的市場上買了20條活蜈蚣，發(fā)現(xiàn)其中7條體內有大量肺線蟲的幼蟲。

Asked why anyone would sell live centipedes — which have a venomous bite — Dr. Lu explained that some traditionalists boil them in teas or pickle them in wine to use as home remedies.

問及為什么有人會出售活蜈蚣——這種蜈蚣有劇毒，陸醫(yī)生解釋說，一些追求傳統(tǒng)的人會用茶煮蜈蚣，或者用來泡酒，作為家傳秘方藥。

“In my opinion, it would be rude to tell the customer, ‘Don’t eat them raw,’” she said. “It would say the customer is stupid.”

“在我看來，對顧客說‘不要生吃’，是不禮貌的，”她說。“這等于說顧客很愚蠢。”