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Scientists have identified strains of the bacterium Enterobacter on the International Space Station (ISS), which they say should be investigated to determine the potential health impacts of astronauts in future missions.
Researchers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of NASA and the California Institute of Technology in the United States investigated five Enterobacter strains isolated from the space and exercise platform toilets. ISS in March 2015.
To identify the Enterobacter species collected on the ISS and to show in detail the genetic makeup of each strain, the researchers compared the ISS strains to all publicly available genomes of 1,291 Enterobacter strains collected on Earth. .
"To show what species of bacteria were present on the ISS, we used various methods to characterize their genomes in detail," said Kasthuri Venkateswaran of the JPL.
"We revealed that the genomes of the five ISS strains of Enterobacter were genetically more similar to the three recently discovered strains on Earth," said Venkateswaran, corresponding author of the study published in the journal BMC Microbiology.
"These three strains belonged to a species of the bacteria, Enterobacter bugandensis, which had caused diseases in newborns and a compromised patient, who were admitted to three different hospitals," he said.
By comparing the genomes of the five ISS strains to the three clinical strains of the Earth, researchers were able to better understand whether ISS strains had antimicrobial resistance characteristics, if their genetic profile was similar to that of known multidrug-resistant bacteria.
It also helped them to identify genes related to their ability to cause disease (pathogenic potential).
"Given the multi-drug resistance results for these ISS E bugandensis genomes and the increased risks of pathogenicity we have identified, these species could pose significant health problems for future missions," said Nitin Singh, the first author of l & # 39; study.
"However, it is important to understand that the 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." said Singh.
The researchers found that ISS isolates had similar antimicrobial resistance profiles to those of the three clinical strains found on Earth and that they included 112 genes involved in virulence, disease, and defense.
Although ISS E bugandensis strains are not pathogenic to humans, the researchers predicted, through computer analysis, a 79% probability that they could potentially cause disease.
However, tests on living organisms must be performed to confirm this, researchers said.
(This story has not been changed by Business Standard staff and is generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
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