Abstract:
Long before COVID-19 made social distancing familiar, people with cystic fibrosis (CF) already practiced such behaviors. CF is held up as a classic example of genetic disease, yet people with CF are also susceptible to bacteria from the environment and from other CF patients. Starting in the 1980s, a bacterial epidemic in the CF population highlighted clashing priorities of connection, physical safety, and environmental protection. Policymakers ultimately called for the physical separation of people with CF from one another via recommendations that reconfigured the CF community. Simultaneously, medical researchers recognized that one highly transmissible CF pathogen called cepacia was being developed for environmental applications and got the EPA to limit cepacia\'s environmental deployment. Environmental regulations speak to the challenge of useful microbes that harm a minority, but CF cross-infection also involves legal implications for microbial and genetic discrimination, social consequences for CF communities, and ethical questions about balancing autonomy, harms, and benefits. As scientists increasingly study connections between host genetics, microbial genetics, and infectious risks, CF is a vital referent.
摘要:
早在新冠肺炎让社交距离变得熟悉之前,患有囊性纤维化(CF)的人已经实践了这种行为。CF被认为是遗传性疾病的典型例子,然而,患有CF的人也容易受到来自环境和其他CF患者的细菌的影响。从1980年代开始,CF人群中的细菌流行突显了冲突的联系重点,身体安全,和环境保护。政策制定者最终呼吁通过重新配置CF社区的建议,将CF与人之间的物理分离。同时,医学研究人员认识到,一种高度传染性的CF病原体称为洋葱正在被开发用于环境应用,并让EPA限制了洋葱的环境部署。环境法规谈到了伤害少数人的有用微生物的挑战,但是CF交叉感染也涉及微生物和遗传歧视的法律含义,对CF社区的社会后果,以及关于平衡自主性的道德问题,危害,和好处。随着科学家越来越多地研究宿主遗传学之间的联系,微生物遗传学,和传染性风险,CF是一个重要的参考。