Experts doubt FBI’s claim that crop fungus smuggled by Chinese students is a threat
專家質疑 FBI 關於中國學生走私農作物真菌構成威脅的說法
However, agriculture experts interviewed by Reuters this week said the fungus has been in the U.S. for more than a century, can be prevented by spraying pesticides, and is only dangerous if ingested regularly and in large quantities.
然而，本週接受路透社採訪的農業專家表示，這種真菌在美國存在了一個多世紀，可以透過噴灑殺蟲劑來預防，只有經常大量攝入才會有危險。
"As a weapon, it would be a pretty ineffective one," said Jessica Rutkoski, a crop sciences professor, wheat breeder and geneticist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Rutkoski and other researchers said extensive testing for the fungus' toxin, widespread use of fungicides and the difficulty of intentionally creating an infection with the pathogen would make it a clumsy weapon. The U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI declined Reuters' request for comment.
「作為一種武器，它的效果相當差，」伊利諾大學香檳分校作物科學教授、小麥育種家和遺傳學家傑西卡·魯特科斯基（Jessica Rutkoski）說。魯特科斯基和其他研究人員表示，對這種真菌毒素的廣泛測試、殺菌劑的廣泛使用以及故意製造病原體感染的難度，使它成為一種笨拙的武器。美國檢察官辦公室和聯邦調查局拒絕了路透社的置評請求。
Since the 1900s, U.S. farmers have been battling the fungus, which causes Fusarium head blight, usually known as "scab," which often infects wheat, barley and other grains on farms during rainy years. The telltale pink streaks on the grain heads contain a toxic byproduct called vomitoxin, which is tested for and tightly controlled by grain elevators where farmers sell their crops.
自20世紀初以來，美國農民一直在與這種真菌作鬥爭。這種真菌會導致鐮刀菌穗枯病（通常被稱為「瘡痂病」），在雨季，這種病菌經常會感染農場裡的小麥、大麥和其他穀物。穀物穗上明顯的粉紅色條紋含有一種名為嘔吐毒素的有毒副產品，農民出售作物的糧倉會對其進行檢測和嚴格控制。
Constant testing and monitoring means that only negligible amounts of vomitoxin ever make it into the bread, pasta and cookies Americans eat, far below levels that would sicken a human, experts said.
專家表示，透過不斷的檢測和監測，美國人吃的麵包、義大利麵和餅乾中僅含有微量的嘔吐毒素，遠低於導致人類生病的水平。
"We have a long history of managing epidemics of scab," said Andrew Friskop, professor and plant pathologist at North Dakota State University, noting that farmers have access to many tools to prevent and control the disease. Farmers began regularly spraying their fields with fungicide as early as the 1990s, and researchers have since developed multiple strains of fungus-resistant wheat.
「我們在控制小麥赤黴病疫情方面有著悠久的歷史，」北達科他州立大學教授兼植物病理學家安德魯·弗里斯科普說。他指出，農民擁有許多預防和控制這種病害的工具。早在1990年代，農民就開始定期在田地噴灑殺菌劑，此後研究人員也培育了多種抗真菌小麥品種。
Plant experts said that it would be difficult to fully assess the risks posed by the samples without more information on the particular strain. But Rutkoski, whose research involves intentionally contaminating wheat with the fungus, said that she isn't always successful at infecting her test field's wheat with scab. She said the pathogen is difficult to control, and her lab has to strike the right balance of temperature and humidity to create an infection. In federal court in Detroit on Tuesday, Jian was charged with conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud the U.S., smuggling goods into the U.S., false statements and visa fraud. Jian did not comment on the charges, and the lawyer who represented her in court was not immediately available for comment. Liu could not be immediately reached for comment. The court scheduled Jian's bail hearing for June 13.
植物專家表示，如果沒有更多關於特定菌株的信息，很難全面評估樣本帶來的風險。但從事故意用真菌污染小麥研究的魯特科斯基表示，她並不總是能成功地讓試驗田裡的小麥感染瘡痂病。她說，這種病原體很難控制，她的實驗室必須達到適當的溫度和濕度平衡才能產生感染。週二，在底特律的聯邦法院，建被指控串謀犯罪或欺詐美國、向美國走私貨物、虛假陳述和簽證欺詐。建沒有對這些指控發表評論，她在法庭上的代理律師也沒有立即發表評論。記者未能立即聯繫到劉徵置評。法院安排建造的保釋聽證會於 6 月 13 日舉行。
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