Obesity could be caused by bacterial infection rather than eating too much, exercising too little or genetics, according to a study that could have profound implications for public health systems, the pharmaceutical industry and food manufacturers.

　　一项研究显示，肥胖可能由细菌感染引发，而不是过度饮食、锻炼太少或者是遗传因素，这可能对公共健康体系、医药行业以及食品制造业产生深远的影响。

　　The discovery in China followed an eight-year search by scientists across the world to explain the link between gut bacteria and obesity.

　　在世界各地科学家研究了8年之后，中国的这一发现解释了肠道细菌和肥胖之间的联系。

　　Researchers in Shanghai identified the human bacteria linked with obesity, fed it to mice and compared their weight gain with rodents without the bacteria. The latter did not become obese despite being fed a high-fat diet and being prevented from exercising.

　　上海的研究者找到了与肥胖有关的人类细菌，并将其喂给老鼠，将它们的体重增加与没有喂细菌的老鼠进行比较。尽管后者得到高脂肪食物喂食，并被阻止锻炼，却没有出现肥胖症状。

　　“This is a very important phenomenon,” said Professor Liping Zhao, who with a team at Shanghai Jiao Tong University carried out the research. “It is the last missing piece of evidence bacteria causes obesity.”

　　开展这一研究的上海交通大学研究团队的赵立平教授说：“这是一个非常重要的现象。这是证明细菌导致肥胖的最后一个此前缺失的证据。”

　　Other academics not linked to the project were quick to seize on its potential implications.

　　与该项目没有联系的其他学者，很快对潜在影响发表了评论。

　　Dr David Weinkove, lecturer in biological sciences at Durham University, said: “If obesity is caused by bacteria, it could be infectious and picked up from some unknown environmental factor, or a parent. It might not be behavioural after all.” Dr Weinkove said Dr Zhao’s research paved a way to intervene in obesity and could allow drugs to be developed for treatment.

　　杜伦大学(Durham University)生物学讲师戴维?文考夫(David Weinkove)教授说：“如果肥胖是由细菌导致的，那么它可能是传染性的，可能来自一些不明环境因素，或者来自父母。到头来它可能与行为无关。”文考夫认为，赵教授的研究为肥胖介入治疗开辟了道路，可能开发出药物来进行治疗。

　　The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal of the International Society for Microbial Ecology.

　　这项研究发表在同行评议的《国际微生物生态学会杂志》(Journal of the International Society for Microbial Ecology)上。