13 different strains of bacterium found on International Space Station

Written by Niamh Shackleton on May 9, 2024. Posted in Current News

Bacteria is something most of us will come into contact with quite often and, while most of it is harmless, it can sometimes prove dangerous

One type that can cause illness is Enterobacter bugandensis – something which was discovered on the International Space Station back in 2018.

According to previous studies, the bacteria has been associated with ‘severe clinical infection‘.

When it was first found on the ISS there were five strains reported, but further investigations have since found there to be 13 strains of the multi drug-resistant bacteria.

As I’m sure you can imagine, the microbes and bacteria that live with astronauts on the ISS play a crucial part in influencing their wellbeing and health, so when a potentially harmful bacterial begins to mutate – it’s definitely a cause for concern.

The ISS is described as having a ‘highly controlled environment, characterised by microgravity, increased CO2 levels, and elevated solar radiation’, but that doesn’t stop microorganisms occupying the space.

In fact, it’s thought some microorganisms exposed to microgravity ‘can acquire antibiotic resistance and heightened virulence via rapid mutations and horizontal gene transfer’.

Enterobacter bugandensis is said to have found a ‘niche’ in the ISS and become distinct from its earthly counterparts.

As per a study released in March this year, the bacteria is an opportunistic pathogen. This means that it will only cause disease in a person if they’re battling a disease already or have a weakened immune system for other reasons.

This isn’t uncommon in astronauts who have been in space for a prolonged period of time.

For the sake of astronauts’ health, it’s important that scientists know how bacteria might mutate when up in space – something which the study hoped to find out about.

In regards to how the pathogen can affect a person, the study states: “Enterobacter species act as opportunistic human pathogens, causing nosocomial infections with bacteremia, lower respiratory tract, osteomyelitis, sepsis, and urinary tract infection.”

As to what ‘drives’ the bacteria, the study goes on to explain: “A hypothesis central to our study was that the singular nature of the stresses of the space environment, distinct from any on Earth, could be driving these genomic adaptations.”

It’s hoped that the findings will ‘offer a window into the microbial ecosystem dynamics within the ISS’ in a bid to mitigate the risks astronauts might face that are associated with potential pathogenic threats.

See more here unilad.com

Header image: Space.com

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