找到新病菌 興大張照勤轟動國際

Carl

http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2008/new/nov/26/today-life2.htm

〔記者徐夏蓮／台中報導〕中興大學獸醫公共衛生研究所副教授兼所長張照勤，研究發現大褐鼠，可能會把一種新的病菌傳染給人類，引發人體心臟、脾臟和神經系統的感染致命。

英媒稱新黑死病 由大褐鼠帶菌

英國每日郵報報導他這項發現，是台灣的科學家發現「新黑死病」。張照勤認為報導太誇大，但他不否認，人類一旦被感染此種病菌又疏於注意，死亡率將十分驚人。

張照勤這項研究報告，將於十二月「醫用微生物學」期刊上發表，未登先轟動，引起國際重視。

張照勤副教授昨天表示，他的研究小組針對五十八隻台灣老鼠進行研究，包括五十三隻台灣溝鼠（又稱大褐鼠）、二隻小家鼠、三隻黑鼠，研究發現在其中一隻台灣溝鼠身上，發現一種新病菌Bartonella rochalimae。

美出現首病例 可能散佈全世界

這種新病菌屬人畜共通傳染病，去年美國首度在一位四十三歲前往秘魯旅行的婦女身上發現，這名婦女出現發燒、類似感冒症狀沒多久，即出現貧血、脾臟腫大，幸好在及時抗生素治療下讓她保住性命。

張照勤副教授指出，值得憂心的是，新病菌Bartonella rochalimae如今在大褐鼠身上發現，而大褐鼠的分布遍及世界各個國家，包括台灣在內。

他說，目前推斷的人畜傳染途徑是，跳蚤叮咬大褐鼠後，新病菌透過血液進入跳蚤體內，當跳蚤叮咬人類時，人因此被此菌感染。

他呼籲一旦身上出現被跳蚤叮咬的痕跡（類似被蚊子叮的紅腫，但久久不褪，奇癢無比）時，醫師及病患都要提高警覺，因為有可能感染新病菌Bartonella rochalimae了。


中興大學副教授張照勤發表於國際期刊的文章，受到國際矚目。

Scientists discover 21st century black plague that spreads from rats to humans

A new plague which jumps from rats to humans has been discovered by scientists.

Fears are growing that increasing numbers of brown rats - the mostcommon kind in Europe - are carrying a strain of bacteria that cancause serious illness in humans from heart disease to infection of thespleen and nervous system.

The new strain of bacteria called Bartonella rochalimae is spread between rats by fleas, Taiwanese researchers have said.

It was first discovered in an American woman with an enlarged spleen who had recently travelled to Peru.

'This event raised concern that it could be a newly emerged zoonoticpathogen,' said Professor Chao-Chin Chang from the National Chung HsingUniversity in Taiwan.

'Therefore, we decided to investigate further to understand if rodentsliving close to human environment could carry this bacteria.'

Scientists have found that rodents carry several pathogenic species ofBartonella, such as B. elizabethae, which can cause inflammation of theheart and B. grahamii, which causes inflammation of the retina andoptic nerve of the eye.

'By analysing the DNA of the bacteria, we discovered a strain that ismost closely related to B. rochalimae, which has been isolated recentlyfrom a human infection in the United States,' said Professor Chang.

Researchers took samples from 58 rats and mice.

Six of the rodents were found to be carrying Bartonella bacteria; five of these were brown rats.
Four of the rodents were carrying B. elizabethae, which can cause heartdisease in humans, and one of the black rats was found to be harbouringB. tribocorum.

However, scientists noticed one strain that had not been identified inrodents previously. The strain was finally shown to be Bartonellarochalimae.

Professor Change said the results raised concerns about the existence of a 21st century plague.
'This certainly warrants further investigation,' he said.

The Black Death was one of the deadliest pandemics in human history,widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersiniapestis, or Bubonic plague.
It was spread by rodents in the 14th century and centuries after that, killing an estimated 75 million people worldwide.