50万年前的古尸上发现结核杆菌痕迹

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Evidence of TB Found in 500,000-Year-Old Fossil
50万年前的古尸上发现结核杆菌痕迹
(HealthDay News) -- The oldest evidence of tuberculosis has been discovered in a 500,000-year-old human fossil from Turkey, a finding that contradicts the widely held belief that the disease emerged only several thousand years ago, according to a team of international researchers.

在土耳其一具50万年前的古尸上发现结核感染人最遥远的证据，这一发现与以前国际上的一个研究队认为这一疾病只有几千年久的历史相矛盾。
The discovery, made during investigation of the new specimen of the human species Homo erectus, lends support to the theory that dark-skinned people who migrated northward from low, tropical latitudes produced less vitamin D, which can have a negative effect on the immune system and the skeleton.
通过对高纬道地区Homo人种这个新标本调查得出的发现，支持这样一理论：从低纬度热带地区迁移到北方的深色人种产生较少的维生素D，这对免疫系统和骨骼有不利影响。
People with dark skin produce less vitamin D because the skin pigment blocks ultraviolet light from the sun.
深色肤色的人因色素阻止紫外线的吸收而产生的维生素D较少。
\"The production of vitamin D in the skin serves as one of the body's first lines of defense against a whole host of infections and diseases. Vitamin D deficiencies are implicated in hypertension, multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular disease and cancer,\" John Kappelman, a professor of anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin and a member of the international team, said in a prepared statement.
“皮肤产生的维生素D作为机体抵抗外来许多感染和疾病的第一道防线。在高血压、多发性硬化、冠心病和肿瘤疾病中都涉及到维生素D的缺乏，”John Kappelman，得克萨斯大学的一位人类学教授在Austin和一个全球会议上发表了上述言论。
This specimen, believed to be a male, had a series of small lesions etched into the bone of the cranium. The shape and the location of the lesions are characteristic of a form of TB that attacks the lining of the brain.
这具尸体，估计是一名男性，遭受了结核杆菌连续感染形成了一连串的颅骨损伤。这些骨头损伤的形状与位置具有结核杆菌感染的特征，表明杆菌攻击了颅骨隔板。
The findings are published in the Dec. 7 issue of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
这些发现公布于人类体格学杂志12月7日版的杂志上。
Before antibiotics were available, doctors prescribed plenty of sunshine and fresh air for TB patients.
在抗生素应用前，医生常建议患者多接受充足阳光照射和新鲜空气。
\"No one knew why sunshine was integral to the treatment, but it worked. Recent research suggests the flush of ultraviolet radiation jump-started the patients' immune systems by increasing the production of vitamin D, which helped to cure the disease,\" Kappelman said.

“没人知道阳光为什么对结核治疗有用，但它确实有效。最新研究表明紫外线照射后通过产生较多的维生素D快速激活病人的免疫系统，从而有助于治疗该病，”Kappelman说。