
Biological War: A Scenario. By Annie Jacobsen. Dutton(达顿出版社); 432 pages; $33. Torva; £22
《生物战:一个场景》。安妮·雅各布森著。达顿出版社;432页;33美元。托瓦出版社;22英镑。
YOU HAVE been infected with a “demon germ(恶魔病菌)”, but you do not feel monstrously bad just yet. In fact, you feel euphoric(欣快的). The bacterium multiplying inside your lungs has been modified with an endorphin(内啡肽) gene to trigger a neurochemical(神经化学的) high—which encourages you to socialise, and thereby spread(从而传播) the pathogen about.
你感染了一种“恶魔病菌”,但尚未感到极度不适。事实上,你感到欣快。在你肺内繁殖的细菌被改造过,带有一个内啡肽基因,能触发神经化学快感——这促使你社交,从而传播病原体。
Soon the ecstasy(狂喜;迷幻药) gives way to(让位于;被取代) a fever and splitting headache(剧烈的头痛). You start coughing up bloody sputum(痰): evidence of rotting lungs and the onset of sepsis(败血症). Antibiotics help at first, but then activate virus genes engineered into the bacterium. That virus attacks your nervous system. You suffer tremors(震颤) and seizures(癫痫发作) and soon you die.
很快,狂喜让位于发烧和剧烈的头痛。你开始咳出血痰:这是肺部腐烂和败血症开始的证据。抗生素起初有效,但随后激活了被工程化植入细菌的病毒基因。病毒攻击你的神经系统。你出现震颤和癫痫,很快死亡。