Abstract:The draft genome sequences of 29 bacterial isolates belonging to the family Bacillaceae were collected from the International Space Station, assembled, and identified. Further analysis of these sequences will enable us to understand their roles for space and biotechnological applications.
“…Several strains of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ( n = 9) and B. thuringiensis ( n = 10) have also been isolated on consecutive days from surfaces on the ISS. 104 Of note, the B. thuringiensis strains have been shown to possess an array of virulence factors associated with enteropathogenicity MN15 MN15 Disease of the intestinal tract. (e.g., non-hemolytic enterotoxin) and the siderophore petrobactin associated with virulence in B. anthracis .…”
The second and third decades of the twenty-first century are marked by a flourishing of space technology which may soon realise human aspirations of a permanent multiplanetary presence. The prevention, control and management of infection with microbial pathogens is likely to play a key role in how successful human space aspirations will become. This review considers the emerging field of medical astro-microbiology. It examines the current evidence regarding the risk of infection during spaceflight via host susceptibility, alterations to the host’s microbiome as well as exposure to other crew members and spacecraft’s microbiomes. It also considers the relevance of the hygiene hypothesis in this regard. It then reviews the current evidence related to infection risk associated with microbial adaptability in spaceflight conditions. There is a particular focus on the International Space Station (ISS), as one of the only two crewed objects in low Earth orbit. It discusses the effects of spaceflight related stressors on viruses and the infection risks associated with latent viral reactivation and increased viral shedding during spaceflight. It then examines the effects of the same stressors on bacteria, particularly in relation to changes in virulence and drug resistance. It also considers our current understanding of fungal adaptability in spaceflight. The global public health and environmental risks associated with a possible re-introduction to Earth of invasive species are also briefly discussed. Finally, this review examines the largely unknown microbiology and infection implications of celestial body habitation with an emphasis placed on Mars. Overall, this review summarises much of our current understanding of medical astro-microbiology and identifies significant knowledge gaps.
Graphical Abstract
“…Several strains of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ( n = 9) and B. thuringiensis ( n = 10) have also been isolated on consecutive days from surfaces on the ISS. 104 Of note, the B. thuringiensis strains have been shown to possess an array of virulence factors associated with enteropathogenicity MN15 MN15 Disease of the intestinal tract. (e.g., non-hemolytic enterotoxin) and the siderophore petrobactin associated with virulence in B. anthracis .…”
The second and third decades of the twenty-first century are marked by a flourishing of space technology which may soon realise human aspirations of a permanent multiplanetary presence. The prevention, control and management of infection with microbial pathogens is likely to play a key role in how successful human space aspirations will become. This review considers the emerging field of medical astro-microbiology. It examines the current evidence regarding the risk of infection during spaceflight via host susceptibility, alterations to the host’s microbiome as well as exposure to other crew members and spacecraft’s microbiomes. It also considers the relevance of the hygiene hypothesis in this regard. It then reviews the current evidence related to infection risk associated with microbial adaptability in spaceflight conditions. There is a particular focus on the International Space Station (ISS), as one of the only two crewed objects in low Earth orbit. It discusses the effects of spaceflight related stressors on viruses and the infection risks associated with latent viral reactivation and increased viral shedding during spaceflight. It then examines the effects of the same stressors on bacteria, particularly in relation to changes in virulence and drug resistance. It also considers our current understanding of fungal adaptability in spaceflight. The global public health and environmental risks associated with a possible re-introduction to Earth of invasive species are also briefly discussed. Finally, this review examines the largely unknown microbiology and infection implications of celestial body habitation with an emphasis placed on Mars. Overall, this review summarises much of our current understanding of medical astro-microbiology and identifies significant knowledge gaps.
Graphical Abstract
“…Candidate ight species to use in our analysis were determined from literature (43)(44)(45). Isolates from the ISS were identi ed in the NCBI databases (18) by searching the BioSample database for "geo_loc_name = USA: International Space Station"[attr] AND "SPECIES NAME".…”
Evidence from the International Space Station suggests microbial populations are rapidly adapting to the spacecraft environment; however, the mechanism of this adaptation is not understood. Bacteriophages are prolific mediators of bacterial adaptation on Earth. We surveyed 245 genomes sequenced from bacterial strains isolated on the International Space Station for dormant (lysogenic) bacteriophages. Our analysis indicated phage-associated genes are significantly different between spaceflight strains and their terrestrial counterparts. Additionally, we identified 283 complete prophages, those that could initiate bacterial lysis and infect additional hosts, of which 46% are novel. These prophage regions encode functions that are correlated with increased persistence in extreme environments, such as spaceflight, to include antimicrobial resistance and virulence, DNA damage repair, and dormancy. Our results correlate microbial adaptation in spaceflight to bacteriophage-encoded functions that may impact human health in spaceflight.
“…Paenibacillus polymyxa is a frequent inhabitant of various niches including soil, plant rhizospheres and plant tissues but also digestive tracts of different animals (Padda et al, 2017;Pasari et al, 2019). It has further been occasionally found in samples of seawater and fermented foods, but is also an inhabitant of the International Space Station (Daudu et al, 2020;Huang & Yousef, 2012;Langendries & Goormachtig, 2021). The species has undergone repeated taxonomic shifts and was reclassified as the type species of the novel genus Paenibacillus in 1994 (Ash et al, 1994; Judicial Commission of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes, 2005).…”
Paenibacillus polymyxa is a bacterial species of high interest, as suggested by the increased number of publications on its functions in the past years. Accordingly, the number of described strains and sequenced genomes is also on the rise. While functional diversity was repeatedly suggested for this species, the available genomic data is now sufficient to confidently segregate strains affiliated to P. polymyxa into two major species groups. As these strains exhibit considerable potential in agriculture, medicine, and bioremediation, it is preferable to clarify their taxonomic affiliation to facilitate reliable and durable approval as active ingredients. Strains currently affiliated to P. polymyxa can be separated into two major species groups with differential potential in nitrogen fixation, plant interaction, secondary metabolism, and antimicrobial resistance, as inferred from genomic data.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
