與寵物親熱可致命 250種病毒等着你

Letting sleeping dogs lie in your bed can make you sick, research suggests.
　　研究發現，經常讓狗狗睡在你的牀上，這將有可能是你患病。

Pet owners may increase the chances of contracting everything from worms to the bubonic plague.

與寵物過於親密的接觸大大提高了感染蠕蟲或鼠疫這樣疾病的機率。

Of the 250 known diseases transmitted from animals to humans, more than 100 of them come from domestic animals, researchers say.

研究者稱，現有250種已知的可以通過動物傳染給人類的病毒，而這其中有超過100種是來自於家畜。

‘In many countries, pets have become substitutes for childbearing and child care, sometimes leading to excessive pet care,’ said Bruno Chomel, a professor at the University of California school of veterinary medicine.

加州大學的獸醫學教授布魯諾說：“在很多國家，人們回想照顧小孩一樣對寵物溺愛有加。”

‘There are private places in the household, and pets should not go beyond next to the bed. Having a stuffed animal in your bed is fine, not a real one.’

“家中的某些區域是應該避免寵物的接觸的，比如說牀，在牀上放幾隻毛絨玩具倒沒問題，但若是一條貨真價實的動物的話，情況可不妙。”

Among the more serious medical problems animal lovers risk by snuggling up to their pets are chagas disease, which can cause life- threatening heart and digestive system disorders.

由此可能還將引發更爲嚴重的健康問題，和寵物過度“親密”的接觸將有可能傳染南美錐蟲病，這將對於心血管和消化系統方面造成致命性損傷。

Cat-scratch disease is another problem. It can come from being licked by infected felines, and can cause lethal damage to the liver, kidney or spleen.

另一個問題則是貓抓病，次種病菌是通過被感染的貓咪舔而傳染給人體的，這將對肝臟、腎臟、脾臟都造成致命的傷害。

A nine-year-old boy from Arizona even caught the plague because he slept with his flea-infested cat, according to the report. And a 48-year-old man and his wife repeatedly contracted antibiotic -resistant MRSA from their dog because it ‘routinely slept in their bed and frequently licked their faces’, the researchers said.

據導報，美國亞利桑那州的一個九歲小男孩因爲和貓咪睡在一起，而被貓身上的跳蚤傳染了瘟疫。一個48歲的男子和妻子也因爲家裏那隻“經常會跳上牀，舔他們臉”的狗兒而感染上了上抗藥性葡萄球菌。

Their study, published in the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, also found several cases of infections transmitted through planting a kiss on a pet.

另一項研究發現，甚至僅僅是親吻寵物，也有可能被會導致病菌的傳播。

And some 25 per cent of women admit to sleeping regularly with a pet, while just 16 per cent of men say they do.

25%的女性承認經常與寵物睡在一起，而只有16%的男性會這麼做。