Super mutants threaten future Space Station expeditions – NASA – RT World News

Resembling a newly discovered bacterium infecting newborns and an immunocompromised elderly patient in three hospitals, the Enterobacter bugadensis The strains found on the ISS were not infectious to humans in their present form. However, their genomes are quite similar to three pathogenic terrestrial strains to warrant further studies, according to researchers at the California Institute of Technology's Jet Propulsion Laboratory's biotechnology and planetary protection group.

The five bacterial strains were resistant to five of the most commonly used antibiotics, including penicillin, andresistant or resistant intermediate"Enterobacter species are commonly found in the human intestinal tract, as well as in wastewater and soil, but they have also been implicated in a wide range of nosocomial infections, including endocarditis and bacteremia, as well as tissues, urinary tract, lower respiratory tract and intra-abdominal infections.

According to a computer analysis performed by the researchers, the probabilities of human infection are 79%, but the principal investigator, Dr. Kasthuri Venkateswaran, said that there was no reason for his Alarm, highlighting the need for further studies. in living beings to determine how environmental factors related to space travel have affected the bacteria.

Microgravity is known to increase the tendency of a bacterium to acquire foreign genetic material and to become resistant to metals and antibiotics, factors that could predispose the ISS. E. bugadensis tends to increase virulence in the future.

A Russian experiment concluded in July that terrestrial bacteria sent into space showed a marked increase in aggressiveness and antibiotic resistance upon their return to Earth. The Biorisk experiment sent 68 different organisms to space in 2005 to determine whether terrestrial or other life forms could survive interplanetary travel.

Four of E. bugadensis samples were collected in the space station's washrooms, while one of them was discovered on the foot platform of resistance exercise machine in March 2015 , as part of a broader effort to carry out a microbial census of the station.

If you like this story, share it with a friend!