And they still do not know why the parasite is so deadly to the pen shell clams.

科学家仍然不知道为什么这种寄生虫对笔壳蛤来说如此致命。

She said, In less than a year it wiped out (the pen shell population of) the Spanish coast.

她表示，“在不到一年的时间内，这种寄生虫就消灭了西班牙海岸的笔壳蛤。”

The pen shells can live for many years, but they take years to reach reproductive age.

笔壳蛤可以存活多年，但是它们需要数年才能达到生育年龄。

He added it is not clear what will happen to the pen shell clams or the microorganism affecting them.

他还表示，目前并不清楚笔壳蛤或影响笔壳蛤的微生物会发生什么。

The parasites might have come from another species and for some reason jumped to the pen shell clam.

该寄生虫可能来自另一个物种，因为某种原因而跳到了笔壳蛤身上。