International space station visible1/3/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() Another stressor for the indigenous microorganisms is the strict maintenance regime, which could result in an increase of antimicrobial resistances, as recently shown for highly-maintained, confined built environments 5. These include a potentially increased infection risk, as it has been shown that microgravity affects the virulence of certain microorganisms, such as Salmonella typhimurium 3, Listeria monocytogenes, and Enterococcus faecalis 4. Several risks with respect to microorganisms and human spaceflight have been identified. Our body’s microbiome is prone to external factors, including the environmental microbiome, as they are in constant exchange and interaction. Adding an order of complexity, human health is intertwined with its microbiome, billions of microorganisms thriving on external and internal surfaces of the human body. The human immune system was shown to be compromised under space flight conditions, as a significant decrease of lymphocytes and also of the activity of innate and adaptive immune response was observed 1, 2. Maintenance of crew’s health during a several hundred days journey in a confined artificial environment in space is one of the key aspects, which has to be addressed. Human space exploration beyond boundaries of Earth and Moon is a declared goal of NASA, ESA, Roscosmos and other space-faring agencies, envisaging a potential human Mars mission in the next 20–30 years. Our results do not raise direct reason for concern with respect to crew health, but indicate a potential threat towards material integrity in moist areas. The genomic and physiological features selected by ISS conditions do not appear to be directly relevant to human health, although adaptations towards biofilm formation and surface interactions were observed. We show that the ISS microbial communities are highly similar to those present in ground-based confined indoor environments and are subject to fluctuations, although a core microbiome persists over time and locations. We assess microbial diversity, distribution, functional capacity and resistance profile using a combination of cultivation-independent analyses (amplicon and shot-gun sequencing) and cultivation-dependent analyses (physiological and genetic characterization of microbial isolates, antibiotic resistance tests, co-incubation experiments). Here, we report the results of the ISS experiment EXTREMOPHILES, including the analysis of microbial communities from several areas aboard at three time points. The International Space Station (ISS) is a unique habitat for humans and microorganisms. ![]()
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