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The International Space Station is full of bacteria. In a recent study, microbiologists investigated the presence of five strains of bacteria known to be highly resistant to antibiotics. ( NASA )
NASA has confirmed that five strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, Enterobacter bugadensis, have been identified aboard the International Space Station.
In a recently published study, researchers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory studied the five Enterobacter strains, which were discovered on toilet and gym platforms in March 2015 as part of efforts to characterize the bacterial community that develops in the space station.
Superbugs on the ISS
To better understand the bacteria, the researchers compared the five strains found in the ISS to all the Enterobacter genomes available to the public on Earth. They concluded that the ISS Enterobacter strains most closely resemble three infectious opportunistic clinical organisms collected in a few hospital settings.
Kasthuri Venkateswaran, senior scientist in the Biotech and Planetary Protection Group of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said the three strains of the Earth infect immunocompromised patients, including in the United States. In addition, It is also known that Enterobacter strains on Earth are highly resistant to antibiotics.
Strains of bacteria in the non-hazardous SSI
However, the researchers revealed that the Enterobacter strains present in the ISS were not pathogenic to humans. The astronauts on board are not likely to be infected, but its mere presence on the orbital outpost has disturbing implications.
"Given the multidrug resistance results for these ISS E. bugandensis genomes and the increased risks of pathogenicity that we have identified, these species pose potentially significant health problems for future missions, "said Nitin Singh, first author of the study." 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 that they must be monitored. "
The researchers used computer analysis and found that ISS organisms still had a 79% probability of causing disease. Additional analyzes of bacteria involving various factors, including conditions on board the orbiting outpost, must be performed to confirm.
NASA regularly examines microbe samples aboard the ISS to determine if they pose a danger to the crew and determine the impact of the environment on the population . The study was published in the journal open access BMC Microbiology.
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