VOA健康报道--科学家发现容易使人感染新型冠状病毒的基因

Polish scientists say they have found a gene¹ that greatly increases the risk of becoming severely² sick with COVID-19.

The discovery could help doctors identify people who are most at risk from the disease.

Researchers from the Medical University of Bialystok carried out the study which was supported by the Medical Research Agency. It involved about 1,500 COVID-19 patients.

The researchers found that the gene was one of the most important factors affecting how seriously a person suffers from COVID-19. Old age and overweight were others. They said it increased the risk of severe COVID-19 sickness by more than two times.

Professor Marcin Moniuszko led the project. He said the gene is present in around 14 percent of the Polish population, compared to about nine percent in Europe as a whole.

Poland's health minister also spoke³ at the press conference announcing the findings on January 13.

"After more than a year and a half of work it was possible to identify a gene responsible for a predisposition to becoming seriously ill (with coronavirus)," said Health Minister Adam Niedzielski.

Dr. Radoslaw Sierpinski is president of the Medical Research Agency which paid for the research. He said it is important to use a test that will quickly show whether people have a genetic⁴ predisposition to severe COVID-19 infections.

Observers blame high coronavirus death rates in Central and Eastern Europe on low vaccinations⁵ rates. The researchers hope that identifying those at greatest risk will persuade more people to get vaccinated⁶. They also want more intensive treatment methods to be available in case of an infection.

Other studies have also shown the importance of genetic factors in how seriously COVID-19 develops.

In November, British scientists said they had identified a version of a gene that may be associated with double the risk of lung failure from COVID-19.

That study identified a gene which, the researchers said, increased by two times the risk of death in COVID-19 patients under 60 years of age. Researchers at Oxford⁷ University said that around 60 percent of people with South Asian ancestry⁸ carry the high-risk gene.

Words in This Story

factor –n. something that helps produce or influence a result; one of the things that cause something to happen

predisposition –n. being more likely to be affected in a certain way by a condition than others

1 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

2 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

5 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

7 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

8 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。