2007年VOA标准英语-New Study Shows Urinary Tract Infections in Chi

By Melinda Smith
Washington
17 July 2007
 

Antibiotics² are designed to fight a multitude of bacterial³ infections.  But some infections -- such as those in the urinary tract⁴ -- have become resistant⁵ to many antibiotics.  VOA's Melinda Smith reports on a recent study that shows these drugs are not as powerful as they should be.

Lailani Summers is being examined as her mother looks on

Little Lailani Summers has frequently suffered from urinary tract infections.  Her mother, Virginia Summers, says the child has been treated with a number of medications, including antibiotics. "I’m not very happy about it because she's on lots of medications.  She's been on a lot of them since this has been going on and she's only two years old, you know."

Doctors say urinary tract infections are among the most common problems they see in small children.  The American Academy of Family Physicians says at least seven percent of girls and two percent of boys will have urinary tract infection by six years of age.  The first symptom is often fever. 

Antibiotics have been frequently used to prevent them from reoccurring.  But a University of Pennsylvania review of almost 75,000 children treated at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia found that when antibiotics were used daily to prevent future infections, the antibiotics did not help and may have done harm. 

Dr. Patrick Conway was the primary investigator⁶ of the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "Antibiotics did not prevent recurrent urinary tract infections and, in fact, when children did get those infections they were more likely be antibiotic¹ resistant."

Children who have bladder reflux -- a condition that occurs when urine flows back into the ureter or kidney -- have been thought to be at greater risk for recurrent urinary tract infections.  But Dr. Conway says that turned out not to be the case for many children in the study. "The children with bladder reflux were not at increased risk of getting recurrent urinary tract infection."

So, what is the best course of treatment when antibiotics do not work?  Dr. Ron Keren has treated many children with urinary tract infections.  Until further studies are made, he advises parents to watch their children for further symptoms before giving antibiotics. "The results are concerning and we want to obviously do the right thing and make sure we give kids medications that they need."

Lailani's mother Virginia Summers agrees with that recommendation. She says,  "I would be very happy to get her off the medications and rather wait for her to have something medically wrong with her instead of treating her for something she does not have at that point."

1 antibiotic   

adj.抗菌的；n.抗生素

参考例句：

• The doctor said that I should take some antibiotic.医生说我应该服些用抗生素。
• Antibiotic can be used against infection.抗菌素可以用来防止感染。

2 antibiotics   

n.（用作复数）抗生素；（用作单数）抗生物质的研究；抗生素，抗菌素( antibiotic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century 20世纪抗生素的发现
• The doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics. 医生给我开了抗生素。

3 bacterial   

a.细菌的

参考例句：

• Bacterial reproduction is accelerated in weightless space. 在失重的空间，细菌繁殖加快了。
• Brain lesions can be caused by bacterial infections. 大脑损伤可能由细菌感染引起。

4 tract   

n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林)

参考例句：

• He owns a large tract of forest.他拥有一大片森林。
• He wrote a tract on this subject.他曾对此写了一篇短文。

5 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。

6 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。