中国科学家探明生吃蜈蚣危险

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

中国的科学家现在有确凿的证据表明，吃生蜈蚣是一个非常糟糕的主意。

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区，这是不言而喻的。但是蜈蚣在中国传统医学中是一种公认的药物。

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.

作为一种治疗癫痫、中风、癌症、破伤风或类风湿性关节炎的古老秘方，这种两英寸长的节肢动物应该被晒干、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.

但周一发表在《美国热带医学与卫生杂志》(American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene)上的一项研究描述了两名医院病人——一对母子——在吃了儿子在农贸市场购买的野生蜈蚣后，他们的大脑中出现了鼠肺线虫的事件。

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.

鼠肺线虫是1934年在中国广州的一只挪威鼠的肺动脉中首次发现的，由此得名。它可能会危及生命，但通常只感染吃生蜗牛或蛞蝓的人。

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.

这些人有的是因为喜欢泰国北部的美食，有的是吃蛞蝓展示胆量的儿童(有时是成年人)，以及不走运的吃沙拉的人，他们不小心把蛞蝓和没洗的生菜一起吃了。

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.

吃幼虫的虾或螃蟹如果未煮熟，在极少数情况下也可以提取到肺线虫。这项新的研究首次证明它们也可以在蜈蚣中找到。这两名患者——一名78岁的妇女和她的46岁的儿子——2012年被广州珠江医院收治，他们的症状为头痛，脖子僵硬，有脑膜炎的迹象。

“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.

“我们花了很长时间才弄清楚他们得了什么病，”该医院的神经科医生、这项研究的合著者陆伶俐(音)说。

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.

她说，在排除了细菌和病毒感染后，治疗小组集中研究常见的寄生虫，如猪绦虫引起的囊虫病，或来自猫粪便的弓形虫病。

Ultimately, she said, a meningitis specialist suggested a test for lungworms. 她说，最终，一位脑膜炎专家建议检测是否有肺线虫。

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.”

陆伶俐说，这名以前健康状况良好的男子听别人告诉他生蜈蚣可以预防冬天感冒，他的母亲“年龄大了，会吃儿子给她的任何东西”。

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

这两名病人在用抗寄生虫药物和皮质类固醇治疗后都康复了。

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.

为了证实他们的怀疑，研究人员在儿子光顾的市场上买了20条活蜈蚣，发现其中7条体内有大量肺线虫的幼虫。

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.

问及为什么有人会出售活蜈蚣——这种蜈蚣有剧毒，陆医生解释说，一些追求传统的人会用茶煮蜈蚣，或者用来泡酒，作为家传秘方药。

“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.”

“在我看来，对顾客说‘不要生吃’，是不礼貌的，”她说。“这等于说顾客很愚蠢。”