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West Nile virus first appeared in North America in 1999. And it quickly moved across the continent. Now a study has pinned the proliferation on a particular culprit: robins. The work is published in the journal Science. [A. Marm Kilpatrick, "Globalization, Land Use, and the Invasion of West Nile Virus"]
A variety of animals can serve as hosts for West Nile, but the virus primarily spreads through a few species of mosquitoes that usually feed on birds, and those bird species, which become viral hosts. Robins may not be the most abundant of birds, but mosquitoes find their blood particularly tasty, frequently feeding on them and turning them into viral “super-spreaders.”
很多動物是西尼羅河病毒的宿主，但該病毒主要還是通過當地的一些蚊子來傳播，這些蚊子是知更鳥的食物，鳥吃了蚊子，自然也變成宿主了。知更鳥可能不是當地數量最多的鳥類，但是對蚊子來說，它們的血就是美味佳肴，通過不斷地吸血，鳥成了這個病毒的超級攜帶者。
In fact, the virus may be why the once-growing robin population has leveled off. The mosquitoes and birds responsible for West Nile’s spread abound where people also live, raising the odds that a mosquito that picked up the virus feeding on a robin could transmit it to a person.
事實上，該病毒有可能是知更鳥數量始終沒多少變化的原因。由于蚊子和鳥的作用，該病毒在人口密集的地方傳播開來，這樣當地人被攜帶了病毒的蚊子叮咬過后感染該病毒的幾率就增大了。
Knowing that the spread of mosquito-borne disease depends on the insects’ feeding habits could help researchers predict and prevent the spread of new pathogens. As Dickenson said, hope is the thing with feathers. Even if it’s infected.
知道了該病毒的傳播途徑，是由于鳥的飲食習慣決定的。那么研究人員就有方法來預測和防止這種病毒的傳播。狄根森說到，我們的希望就寄托在這些長著羽毛的家伙身上，即便是一只已被感染的鳥。
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