A killer bug spreading across the globe like wildfire sounds like something out of a bad sci- fi film. But while this is still the stuff of fantasy, microbiologists are concerned about the news of an enzyme with the potential to convert all bacteria into superbugs resistant to treatment.
一种致命细菌在全球范围内迅速传播开来，这听上去就如同科幻灾难片中的情节。尽管这听上去就像是天方夜谭一样，但微生物学家们担心某种酶可以将所有细菌催化成无法消灭的超级细菌。
New Delhi Metallo-1 (NDM-1) is already widespread in India and Pakistan, according to the Lancet Infectious Disease journal. There have also apparently been 50 cases in Britain.
根据《柳叶刀传染病》杂志报道，一种名为“新德里金属蛋白酶—1即“NDM-1”的病菌已经在印度和巴基斯坦地区广泛传播。英国国内已出现约50宗病例。
Worryingly, NDM-1 appears to destroy a major group of antibiotics, the carbapenems - one of the last still to work against other bacteria now resistant to other treatments.
令人担忧的是，这种“NDM-1”病菌甚至令碳青霉烯类抗生素也束手无策，而碳青霉烯类抗生素通常被认为是对抗耐药性病菌的最后方法。
So can we stay ahead of these superbugs? We talked to leading experts to discover what we can do to protect ourselves.
那么我们能够战胜这些超级细菌吗？我们就如何保护自己这一问题向权威专家们求助。
1. Use an antibacterial body wash/shampoo such as Hibiscrub before, during and after a hospital stay.
1.在入院前，住院期间以及出院后，要使用除菌浴液或洗发水，例如希必洁液。
2. If you’re fitted with a catheter, ask for it to be removed as soon as clinically possible, says Professor Mervyn Bibb, a molecular microbiologist at the John Innes Institute, Norwich. ‘It is a potential source of infection.’
2. 诺利奇约翰•英尼斯中心分子微生物学家默文•比布教授建议，如果治疗时使用导管，记得要求工作人员根据治疗需要，及时更换新的导管。他说：“这很有可能引起感染。”
3. Ask hospital staff and visitors to use antiseptic hand gel.
3.要求医护人员以及探访者使用除菌洗手液。
4. Take your antibiotics as prescribed: If you don’t finish the course or take them at reduced dose there is a risk you won’t kill all the bacteria, says Professor Bibb. ‘Finishing the course will ensure all pathogens are killed. Taking less than the prescribed amount could lead to incrementally resistant strains developing.’
4.比布教授建议要合理使用抗生素：如果你没有完成治疗疗程，或是减少药量，那么就有可能无法完全消灭病菌。“完成整个治疗疗程，这会保证所有的病原体都被杀死。剂量不足则会导致病菌的抗药性逐渐增强。”
5. Watch for signs of redness, swelling and pain around wounds and report it to medical staff.
5.严格观察伤口周围的变化，一旦发现泛红、肿胀或疼痛等状况，要及时向医生求助。
6. At home, practise good hand hygiene. Wash your hands after going to the loo and before preparing food. Regularly clean door handles, light switches and flushes on loos. Avoid sharing towels. Be vigilant about food hygiene: E. Coli can colonise meat products, such as burgers, so make sure you cook them thoroughly and they are not left bloody.
6.在家时，要养成良好的洗手习惯。如厕后、做饭前切记要洗手。定期清洁厕所门把手、电灯开关以及马桶。避免与他人共用毛巾。警惕“病从口入”：大肠杆菌能够在像汉堡这样的肉制品上大量繁殖，所以切记要将它们彻底烹熟，不要留有血丝。
