每天讀一篇 美語脫口說
小心了，淋浴噴頭很可能是你肺部感染的病毒源
A lung disease has been linked to the most common group of germs which populate the average household showerhead. The biofilm on metal showerheads was more likely to contain mycobacteria than those on plastic units, according to the authors of a study published in MBio.
一般家庭淋浴噴頭中最常見的細菌群與肺病有關。根據發表在MBio雜誌上的一項研究表明，在金屬淋浴噴頭上的生物膜比塑料噴頭上的生物膜更容易含有分枝桿菌。
Breathing in aerosols of a specific type of mycobacteria can cause nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM). Most people do not fall ill if they inhale mycobacteria. However, if the organisms attack the lungs, it can trigger inflammation. Left untreated, a chronic lung infection can occur, bringing coughing, shortness of breath, weight loss and tiredness. Treatment can involve taking antibiotics for at least 12 months.
吸入特定類型分枝桿菌的氣溶膠可導致非結核分枝桿菌(NTM)。大多數人在吸入分枝桿菌後不會生病。然而，如果這些微生物攻擊肺部，就會引發炎症。如果不及時治療，可能會發生慢性肺部感染，引起咳嗽、氣短、體重減輕和疲勞。如果想治癒的話，至少要服用12個月的抗生素，（同時還要配以其他醫療手段）。
In the U.S., more than 80,000 people have NTM, most of whom are older adults, according to the American Lung Association.
根據美國肺臟協會的數據顯示，美國有8萬多人患有NTM肺病，其中大多數是老年人。
The authors warned that NTM infections were 「increasingly recognized as a threat to public health」 as they can be difficult to treat, and that rates were on the rise in the U.S. and other developed countries.
作者警告稱，NTM感染逐漸被認為是對公眾健康的威脅，因為它們很難治療，而且美國和其他發達國家的NTM感染率正在上升。
The 「hot spots」 of mycobacteria were found where NTM was most common, the authors found. Past research showed the disease is most prevalent in Hawaii, southern California, Florida and New York City.
作者發現，「熱點」區域通常與NTM肺病最常見的區域重疊。過去的研究表明，這種疾病在夏威夷、南加州、佛羅裡達和紐約市達最為普遍。
Dr. Noah Fierer, study author and Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) fellow and professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, said in a statement: 「There is a fascinating microbial world thriving in your showerhead, and you can be exposed every time you shower.
該論文的研究作者，環境科學研究合作研究所的研究員，兼科羅拉多大學博爾德分校的生態學和進化生物學教授在一份聲明中說:「在你的淋浴頭上有一個迷人的微生物世界，你每次洗澡的時候它們都會出來。」
Most of those microbes are harmless, but a few are not, and this kind of research is helping us understand how our own actions—from the kinds of water treatment systems we use to the materials in our plumbing—can change the makeup of those microbial communities, he said.
他說，「這些微生物大多是無害的，但也有少數的個別，我們的研究正在幫助我們了解如何改善目前這一窘境，包括我們採用什麼樣的水處理系統以及我們的管道應該採用什麼材料，這些都能夠幫助我們改變這些微生物群落的組成。」