New research suggests that sleeping next to your pet increases your risk of getting sick. Researchers from the University of California-Davis believe pet owners have a greater chance of catching diseases as serious as the bubonic plague, an infection that killed 75 million people across Europe in the fourteenth century. Professor Bruno Chamel did, however, say that although this is extremely rare, it does happen. He said people are safer if they keep Kitty and Fido next to their bed, not on it. He wrote in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases: "There are private places in the household, and I think our pets should not go beyond next to the bed....Having a stuffed animal in your bed is fine, not a real one."

新的研究表明，挨着宠物睡觉会增加生病的风险。来自加利福尼亚大学戴维斯分校的研究人员相信，宠物主人感染淋巴腺鼠疫等严重疾病的风险会增加。14世纪，这种疾病导致欧洲7500万人死亡。然而，Bruno Chamel教授表示，尽管这种情况非常罕见，然而确实会发生。他说，如果人们让他们的狗狗或猫咪在床边而不是在床上睡觉，人们会更加安全。他在《新发传染性疾病》上写道：“家里有一些私人的场所，我认为宠物不应该到床边以外的地方。在床上放一个毛绒动物玩具是不错的想法，但是不要让真的动物上床。”

This research will upset many people who love cuddling up to their pet or getting their face licked by them. Professor Chamel reckons that because people are having fewer children, pets have become replacements. More than 60 per cent of American households have a pet and up to 62 per cent of pet owners let their animals sleep with them, according to Chamel’s research. Chamel has already received many e-mails strongly disagreeing with his research. They say they have slept with their pets throughout their lives and are as healthy as anyone else. Larry Kornegay, president of the American Veterinary Association, agreed, saying: “The benefits of having a pet, whether or not you sleep with it, far outweigh the negatives.”

对于那些喜欢和宠物依偎在一起或者让宠物亲吻他们的脸的人来说，这项研究会让他们难过。Chamel教授断定这一点是因为孩子越来越少，宠物成为替代品。根据Chamel的研究，超过60%的美国家庭拥有宠物，62%的宠物主人让动物和他们一起睡。Chamel已经收到许多邮件强烈抗议他的研究。他们说，他们一辈子都和宠物一起睡，但是和其他人一样健康。美国兽医学会主席Larry Kornegay赞同这一说法：“拥有宠物的益处远远大于弊端，无论你是否和它们一起睡。”