It may sound like the plot of a new Alien film, but NASA has found a mutant bacteria thriving in space.
Researchers discovered 13 strains of the bacteria, called Enterobacter bugandensis that is linked to blood infections on the International Space Station (ISS), which could compromise the health of astronauts on board.
The extreme environment on the ISS like higher carbon dioxide levels forced the bacteria to mutate, and when exposed to microgravity, the bacteria can acquire a resistance to antibiotics.
The mutation landed the bacteria in the ESKAPE pathogens group – bacteria that are the leading cause of infections contracted while receiving medical care.
The bacteria has been linked to severe infections like a blood infection found in infants called neonatal sepsis.
Finally, they looked at the metabolic interactions of the bacteria that benefit other microorganisms, helping them survive and grow.
‘Study findings indicate that under stress, the ISS isolated strains were mutated and became genetically and functionally distinct compared to their Earth counterparts,’ NASA reported.
Researchers determined that the mutant strains also had entirely different genes that might have caused their multi-drug resistant abilities.
Although it sounds like the storyline for a recent Alien movie, NASA has discovered a mutant bacteria that is thriving in space.
On the International Space Station (ISS), blood infections are linked to 13 strains of Enterobacter bugandensis that researchers found could be harmful to astronauts’ health.
Bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics when they are exposed to microgravity, which is a result of the extreme conditions on the International Space Station (ISS), including elevated carbon dioxide levels that drive their mutation.
Scientists have now cautioned that astronauts may be more vulnerable to bacterial infections due to the health effects of microgravity, as the bacteria carried on by them to the orbiting laboratory.
Because of the mutation, the bacteria are now classified as ESKAPE pathogens, which are the most common cause of infections acquired during medical treatment.
Neonatal sepsis—a blood infection that affects infants—has been associated with the bacteria in cases of severe infections.
Severe sepsis, UTIs, STIs, and endocarditis—a potentially fatal inflammation of the heart’s inner lining of the chambers and valves—can also be brought on by enterobacter infections.
After completing a thorough investigation of the fungi and bacteria present on the International Space Station (ISS), researchers found that E is the predominant bacterium. This discovery was made during an extensive survey conducted in 2019. Bugandensis.
Thirteen strains of the bacteria were found by the team in three different areas of the International Space Station (ISS): four in the air circulation system, one on an exercise machine, and eight in the lab’s lavatory.
Rather than relying only on E comparisons, scientists used three steps in their research to determine the mutation in the bacteria. bugandensis on board the International Space Station to the species found on Earth.
Prior to identifying the abundance of E in the second step, the team examined how the bacteria’s functionality and genomes changed as a result of their adaptation to the harsh environment of space. ISS population of bugandensis.
The metabolic relationships between bacteria that aid in the survival and growth of other microorganisms were the last thing they examined.
NASA stated that the study’s conclusions show that, when subjected to stress, the ISS isolated strains underwent genetic and functional mutations, resulting in their separation from their Earthly counterparts.
It also stated that “the strains were able to viably persist in the ISS over time in significant abundances.”.
“The average number of genes in the ISS genomes was 4568, which is significantly more than the average of 4416 genes in the Earth genomes,” the research team reported in the study.
The mutant strains’ potential for multidrug resistance was suggested by the researchers’ discovery that they possessed completely distinct genes.
But even though it’s an E. The space station’s harsh environment, which included solar radiation, low or weak gravity, high carbon dioxide levels, and microgravity, forced the bacteria to evolve in order to survive. However, the bacterium does exist on Earth.
It’s possible that other elements like air pressure, humidity, and ventilation helped E. According to the study, bugandensis flourished and that the bacterial strain might have helped other microorganisms on the ISS survive by coexisting with them.
Researchers found that by examining how microbes endure harsh conditions on the International Space Station, “this research opens doors to effective preventative measures for astronaut health.”. ‘.
