Summary 15 March 2013 Scientists may be on top in the battle against bedbugs. These insects are one of the most difficult to control. But research, from the journal Scientific Reports, could help scientists to develop new, improved control methods. 在与臭虫的斗争中，科学家或许占了上风。这些虫子是最难对付的一类。发表于《科学报道》杂志上的一项研究将会帮助科学家们研发全新的、更有效的控制臭虫的方法。
Reporter: Rebecca Morelle
Report
They feast on our blood while we sleep - leaving itchy, red welts as their calling card. Bedbugs are an insect that many would like to see the back of. But in North America, Europe and Australia, infestations are on the rise - and ourinsecticides are losing their bite.
Researchers at the University of Kentucky in the US have found 14 genes associated with resistance to these chemicals. They’re causing a number of biological changes in the bedbugs. These include the development of a thicker skin that stops the poisons from penetrating and mutations within the insects’ bodies that prevent the toxins from hitting the nervous system.
The genes linked to these changes are active in the insect’s tough outer shell - creating a formidable first line of defence. These findings could help scientists to develop new insecticides that could either turn these genes off or bypass the pest’s molecular shields.
But until these substances are developed, exterminators are having to resort to more primitive tactics.
Vocabulary
itchy：unpleasant feeling on the skin that makes you scratch welts：area of raised skin, red in colour, sometimes caused by an insect bite calling card：evidence that something has been there infestations：problems where insects are in a place and causing damage insecticides：chemical substances used for killing insects penetrating：getting inside of mutations：changes in the genes that make it different from others of its type toxins：poisons formidable：impressive or powerful exterminators：people who kill unwanted pests (such as insects)
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发表于 2013/3/17 14:07:00
