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The human microbiome is the community of tiny organisms that live on us and inside us.
人體微生物是我們身體內在外在的微小生物群落。
These critters play vital roles in our health.
而就是這些不起眼的微生物對我們的身體健康起到了至關重要的作用。
They calibrate our immune systems, ward off pathogenic bacteria, even affect our weight.
它們幫助我們調整免疫系統、抵御病原菌、甚至還會影響到我們的體重。
But if we stop the navel gazing—literally, because some scientists are actually measuring belly button bacteria—there's a whole lot to be found in the microbiomes of other organisms, too.
但不夸張地講，我們不要再緊盯著肚臍，因為一些科學家真的在檢測肚臍細菌，這對我們而言可是一個嶄新的未知世界。
Take the pesky mosquito.
就拿令人厭的蚊子來說吧。
A few years back, scientists found a soil microbe called Chromobacterium CspP living in the guts of mosquitoes in Panama.
幾年前,科學家們在巴拿馬的蚊子身上發現了一種被稱為色素細菌CspP的土壤微生物。
Upon further study, the researchers say this mosquito-occupant could be a remarkably versatile weapon to fight malaria and dengue fever.
而通過進一步的研究,研究人員表示這種蚊子可能是對抗瘧疾和登革熱的強力武器。
Because Chromobacterium shortens the lifespan of disease-transmitting mosquito species that harbor it; and kills their larvae outright.
因為該色素細菌會縮短寄生那些傳播疾病的蚊子的壽命，并且會直接將幼蟲扼殺在體內。
It also reduces mosquitoes' ability to catch the dengue virus, or the malarial parasite; and it kills both pathogens in the lab.
而且該色素細菌還可以降低感染登革熱病毒或瘧疾寄生蟲的能力。在實驗室中還它們還殺死了2種病毒的病原體。
Those findings are in the journal PLoS Pathogens.
這些發現已經在《公共科學圖書館:病原體》上發表。
The researchers say this Chromobacterium strain could someday guide the development of new drugs.
研究人員稱這種色素細菌菌株未來可能在研發新藥方面起到指導作用。
Or serve as a more environmentally-friendly stand-in for pesticides.
或者作為更環保的殺蟲劑為人類服務。
But they also say that, as with many disease-control strategies, there's no one silver bullet.
但他們同時也表示如同其他疾病控制策略一樣，這種細菌也并非萬能藥。
Drugs, vaccines, and education will still be crucial to keeping mosquito-borne killers in check.
藥物、疫苗及教育仍將在對抗蚊子媒介病源方面起到不可或缺的作用。
Along with good old vector control: in this case, fighting bugs with bugs.
如同老傳統的傳病媒介控制一樣：這種情況就是要以蟲治蟲。
