Five strains of bacteria have been found in the International Space Station

In March 2015, NASA JPL researchers analyzed samples taken from the ISS toilets and exercise platform and identified five strains of the Enterobacter bacteria in the space environment. Researchers do not think that these strains are harmful to humans, but they could represent an essential step in protecting astronauts against bacterial diseases during long-term missions in space.

When researchers compared ISS strains with publicly available genomes of 1,291 Enterobacter strains collected on Earth, they found that the bacteria in space were very similar to those on Earth.

"To show what species of bacteria were present on the ISS, we used various methods to characterize their genomes in detail. We revealed that the genomes of the five ISS strains of Enterobacter were genetically more similar to the three newly discovered strains on Earth. These three strains belonged to a species of the bacterium, Enterobacter bugandensis, known to cause disease in neonates and a compromised patient, who were admitted to three different hospitals (in East Africa, in the US). 39, Washington State and Colorado). Kasthuri Venkateswaran, a researcher at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's biotechnology and planetary protection group, said in a statement.

Previous research has shown that bacteria behave differently in the microgravity of the International Space Station. Even some species found to thrive more in space than here on Earth. The resilience of bacteria in a microgravity environment or their absence has important implications for future space missions.

"Given the multiple drug resistance outcomes for these ISS E. bugandensisgenomes and the increased pathogenicity risks we have identified, these species could pose significant health problems for future missions," said Dr. Lead author, Dr. Nitin Singh. "However, it is important to understand that strains found on the ISS were not virulent, which means that they do not pose an active threat to human health, but need to be monitored. "

The researchers found that the Enterobacter strains isolated from ISS had antimicrobial resistance profiles similar to those of the three strains found on Earth. A computer analysis revealed that the bacteria had a 79% chance of causing a disease.

"Whether or not an opportunistic pathogen such as E. bugandensis is a cause of the disease depends on many factors, including environmental ones," said Dr. Venkateswaran. "Other in vivo studies are needed to determine the impact that conditions on the ISS, such as microgravity, other factors related to space and spacecraft. , can have on pathogenicity and virulence. "