They locate an antibiotic-resistant bacterium aboard the International Space Station



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Serena-Auñón-Chancelor astronaut aboard the ISS
Photo: NASA

NASA scientists have just detected an antibiotic-resistant bacterium in one of the their supposedly cleaner facilities: the International Space Station. The microorganism is not dangerous for humans, but the fact that it is resistant makes the finding disturbing.

The bacterium is a strain of Enterobacter and appeared in the toilets of the station. NASA performs periodic genetic testing of the bacterial population that coexists with astronauts in the orbiting laboratory. No place where there are human beings is completely free from the bacteria that accompany them, but the ISS is a particularly inhospitable place for microorganisms. Microgravity, excess carbon dioxide in the air and higher levels of radiation are not quite the usual environment for a bacterium.

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The Enterobacter strain found in The Station is genetically very similar to the three variants found in hospitals that have caused health problems to patients whose immune system is compromised. The micro-organism was discovered in 2015 and has not been a problem for astronauts since all these years because the hygiene measures on board the station are extreme and astronauts who climb into orbit are still in danger. healthy.

There is room for concern. Researchers who drafted the study on recently published bacteria warn that the body has a 79% chance of turning into a variant capable of infecting humans if the circumstances are right. The body is completely resistant to five common antibiotics such as penicillin, cefazolin or oxycillin, and has some resistance to others. [ BMC Microbiology via Science Alert]

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