研究表明，高剂量的抗生素可能促进细菌繁殖

Using higher doses of antibiotics in a bid to tackle the growing problem of drug resistance may end up strengthening certain bacteria, according to research released yesterday that highlights a previously unthought-of risk.

昨日公布的一项研究显示，为解决日益严重的耐药性问题而使用更高剂量的抗生素，可能最终会进一步加强某些细菌的耐药性。这项研究突显了一种以前考虑的风险。

Antimicrobial resistance has been labeled by the United Nations as “one of the greatest threats we face as a global community” and is predicted to kill 10 million annually by 2050.

联合国已将抗菌素耐药性列为“全球所面临的最大威胁之一”，预计到2050年，每年有1000万人因此死亡。

Previous research has shown inflicting higher antibiotic doses on bacteria can slow its ability to develop resistance, yet little attention has been paid to how those higher doses impact the overall health of microbes.

先前的研究已经表明，对细菌施加更高的抗生素剂量可以减缓其产生抗药性的能力，然而很少有人关注这些更高剂量的抗生素对整体健康的影响。

A team of Britain- and Europe-based researchers looked at how populations of E. coli reacted to varying concentrations of three common antibiotics.

一个由英国和欧洲的研究人员组成的团队，研究了大肠杆菌对三种不同剂量的常见抗生素的反应。

They found that while higher antibiotic doses slowed the rate at which the bacteria developed resistance, they also gave rise to bacteria with “higher overall fitness” — meaning it had a higher rate of reproduction.

他们发现，虽然较高的抗生素剂量减缓了细菌产生耐药性的速度，但它们也会产生“整体适应性较高”的细菌——这意味着细菌具有了更高的繁殖率。

“We consider growth rate as a proxy for fitness, under the assumption that a strain that grows faster is more likely to take over the population and become dominant,” said lead author Mato Lagator, from the University of Manchester’s School of Biological Sciences.

来自曼彻斯特大学生物科学学院的主要作者马托·拉加特说: “我们认为生长速度是健康的一个代表，前提是生长更快的菌株更有可能接管种群并占据主导。”。

The team behind the research, published in the journal Royal Society Biology Letters, said it showed how higher antibiotic doses presented a “dilemma” and could result in ultimately more-resistant bacteria.

这项研究发表在《皇家学会生物学快报》(Royal Society Biology Letters)上。研究团队表示，研究显示，高剂量的抗生素是一个“两难”的选择，并最终导致耐药性更强的细菌产生。

“Considering the fitness of the evolved strains adds another dimension to the problem of optimal antibiotic dosing.”

“考虑进化菌株的适应性，为抗生素最佳剂量问题增加了另一个维度。”

Several studies have warned of the risks of antibiotic over-prescription and over-use in livestock rearing, with the US Center for Disease Control estimating that one in three prescriptions for antibiotics are unnecessary.

美国疾病控制中心(US Center for Disease Control)估计，三分之一的抗生素处方没有必要。