比爾蓋茨：消滅蚊子最佳時機是它們正在交配時

IT之家8月23日訊息 今天比爾蓋茨釋出新的蓋茨筆記文章《″蚊子城″裡，時刻嗡嗡作響》，講述了科研人員在這裡研究如何驅除、吸引和殺滅世界上最致命的動物。IT之家從文章瞭解到，何時是消滅蚊子的最佳時機？日落時分，當它們正在做愛時。這不是玩笑。

下面是文章內容：

When’s the best time to kill mosquitoes?

何時是消滅蚊子的最佳時機？

While they’re making love—at sunset.

日落時分，當它們正在做愛時。

No kidding.

這不是玩笑。

This is just one of many fascinating discoveries being made at a place called Mosquito City. Located in the swamplands of central Tanzania, the “city” is home to the world’s largest captive colony of mosquitoes used for researching ways to combat malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases. Day and night scientists work to better understand mosquito behavior (like when and where they enjoy having sex) as well as cutting-edge approaches to trap, repel, and most importantly, kill them.

在一個叫做 “蚊子城”的地方，這只是眾多有意思的發現之一。該 “城市”位於坦尚尼亞中部的沼澤地，是世界上最大的蚊子人工棲息地，用於研究抗擊瘧疾和其他蚊媒疾病的方法。科學家們夜以繼日地工作，致力於更好地瞭解蚊子的行為（例如它們喜歡在何時何地進行交配）和最前沿的方法來捕捉、驅趕及——最重要的是——殺滅它們。

I first learned about Mosquito City during a trip to Africa several years ago when I met scientists from Ifakara Health Institute, a Tanzanian health research organization which runs the site. While I haven’t had the opportunity to visit, Fredros Okumu, Ifakara’s chief scientist, offered a behind-the-scenes look at some of the research underway there in this video. If you’re wondering how they get enough blood to feed all the mosquitoes, watch for the moment when Fredros puts his arm in a cage containing more than 500 very hungry mosquitoes for a feed! (For larger mosquito colonies, too big for one human to feed, a cow is on the mosquitoes’ dinner menu.)

我第一次聽說 “蚊子城”是在幾年前的一次非洲之行，當時我會見了依法卡拉衛生研究所的科學家們——正是這個坦尚尼亞的衛生研究機構管理著 “蚊子城”。雖然我還沒機會去參觀，但在下面這條影片裡，依法卡拉的首席科學家弗雷德･奧庫姆提供了一些進行中研究的幕後花絮。如果你想知道他們如何獲得足夠的血液來餵養所有的蚊子，請看弗雷德將他的手臂放入籠子的那一幕，那個籠子裡有 500 多隻餓極了的蚊子！（對於更大一些的蚊子群，大到一個人不足以餵飽它們，那麼一頭牛將出現在蚊子們的選單上。）

Mosquito City is located in a region of Tanzania that’s hot, humid, and swampy. In other words –perfect conditions for its primary residents. Malaria has been so widespread in this part of the country —once infecting 80 percent of the population—that one meaning of the name of the local town, Ifakara, is, “the place people go to die.”

“蚊子城”位於坦尚尼亞一個炎熱、潮溼、多沼澤的區域。換句話說，這對於其主要居民來說具有完美的條件。瘧疾一直在坦尚尼亞的這個地區廣泛傳播，曾經感染了 80% 的人口，以至於當地城鎮依法卡拉名字的含義之一竟是 “人們去死的地方”。

Fortunately, malaria deaths are on the decline in recent years. One reason is the use of insecticide-treated bed nets, which remain one of the most effective means to control the disease. (New bed net distribution efforts like the one that just launched in Benin are helping to ensure every person at risk of malaria is protected by one.)

幸運的是，近年來瘧疾死亡人數正在下降。其中一個原因是使用經殺蟲劑處理的蚊帳，這仍是控制該疾病最有效的手段之一。（包括這個剛在貝南啟動的專案在內的一系列新的蚊帳分發工作，正在幫助確保每一個有感染瘧疾風險的人都能得到蚊帳的保護。)

Still, much more needs to be done to fight the disease, especially as mosquitoes become resistant to some of the pesticides used to control them. That’s why scientists at Mosquito City are working to better understand mosquito behaviors and find ways to outsmart them.

然而，在對抗這種疾病方面還有很多工作要做，特別是當蚊子對一些用於防控它們的殺蟲劑產生抗藥性。這就是為什麼 “蚊子城”的科學家們正在努力更好地瞭解蚊子的行為，並找到戰勝它們的方法。

“It's kind of a love-hate relationship. If you can't beat them, you join them for now, but then you can kill them from the inside. And that's what we try to do here at the Mosquito City.” Fredros says.

“這是一種愛恨交加的關係。如果你無法擊敗它們，那麼你就暫時加入它們，但隨後你可以從內部瓦解它們。而這也是我們在‘蚊子城’努力做的事情。”弗雷德說道。

Fredros and his team are studying one of the deadliest mosquito species, Anopheles funestus. In southeastern Tanzania, it is responsible for nearly 9 out of every 10 cases of malaria even though other species of mosquito are far more common. And yet, it is one of the least understood species of mosquitoes because it is difficult to raise in a lab environment. Our foundation is supporting the Ifakara Health Institute’s research into its behavior so they can mount a targeted campaign against them.

弗雷德和他的團隊正在研究一種最致命的蚊子——不吉按蚊。在坦尚尼亞東南部，每 10 個瘧疾病例中就有近 9 個是由這種蚊子傳播的，儘管其他種類的蚊子更為常見。不吉按蚊由於很難在實驗室環境中飼養，因此是人類最不瞭解的蚊子種類之一。我們基金會正在支援依法卡拉衛生研究所關於不吉按蚊行為的研究，以便他們能開展針對這種蚊子的滅殺行動。

One promising approach may be killing them while they are mating. Ifakara scientists learned that mosquitoes, including Anopheles funestus, have favorite locations – like rice fields, trash heaps, and banana trees – to mate. The male mosquitoes appear at their favorite mating spots at sunset to begin a ritualistic flight dance, drawing in the females. Because these mating events occur at predictable times and locations, researchers are experimenting with regularly targeting these swarms with pesticides, dramatically reducing the mosquito populations and malaria transmission.

一種有希望的方法可能是在它們交配時殺死它們。依法卡拉科學家們瞭解到，包括不吉按蚊在內的蚊子都有最喜歡的交配地點——例如稻田、垃圾堆和香蕉樹。雄蚊在日落時分出現在它們最喜歡的交配地點，開始一場儀式性的飛行舞蹈用以吸引雌蚊。由於這些交配活動發生在可預測的時間和地點，研究人員正在試驗用殺蟲劑定期、定向消滅這些蚊群，顯著減少了蚊子的數量與瘧疾的傳播。

As the researchers dig deeper into the unique characteristics of different mosquito species, it’s become more important to be able to quickly identify them. Once they understand which species is posing the greatest threat, they can choose the best methods to eliminate them. But identifying mosquito species and other indicators, like age, can be a laborious process. At Mosquito City, scientists are working on some alternative identification approaches that would accelerate their research. One is to use their buzzing sound to identify them. Another option uses infrared spectroscopy. Mosquitoes have a unique electromagnetic signal. By crushing the abdomens of mosquitoes and analyzing them under a spectrometer, researchers can identify the species and age of the mosquito.

隨著研究人員對不同種類蚊子獨特特徵的深入挖掘，能夠快速識別它們變得越來越重要。一旦瞭解哪種蚊子正構成最大的威脅，他們就能選擇最佳的方法來消滅它們。但識別蚊子種類與其他像年齡之類的指標，可能會是一個費力的過程。在 “蚊子城”，科學家們正在研究一些替代性的識別方法來加快他們的研究進度。一種是利用蚊子的嗡嗡聲來識別它們，另一種則是使用紅外光譜儀。蚊子有一種獨特的電磁訊號。透過壓扁蚊子的腹部並在光譜儀下進行分析，研究人員可以確定蚊子的種類和年齡。

Many of the innovations coming out of Mosquito City are designed to meet the immediate needs of the local community, who work in small farming villages and spend most of their day outdoors. Researchers have developed a variety of mosquito traps, some mimicking the odor of sweaty feet, a smell that mosquitoes find irresistible. They’ve created a range of mosquito repellents too, including furniture treated with repellent that allows people to sit outside in the evening and stay protected. They’ve even developed a line of sandals which will keep mosquitoes at bay from the sweatiest feet, protecting their owner from bites.

“蚊子城”的許多創新都是為了滿足當地社群人民的迫切需求，他們在小型農莊工作，每天大部分時間都在戶外作業。研究人員已經開發出了多種捕蚊器，一些捕蚊器模仿了汗腳的氣味，這種氣味使蚊子難以抗拒。他們還製造了一系列驅蚊劑，包括經過驅蚊劑處理的傢俱，使人們得以在晚上坐在戶外也得到保護。他們甚至還開發了一個涼鞋產品線，這些涼鞋讓蚊子遠離汗水最多的雙腳，保護人們不被叮咬。

What will the team at Mosquito City think of next? I can’t wait to find out.

“蚊子城”的團隊接下來會想些什麼？我迫不及待地想要知道。

【來源：IT之家】

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