MicrobiologyBytes

When the space shuttle Endeavour returned safely to the Kennedy Space Center last week, it carried a precious payload of bacteria, grown and frozen in zero-gravity, then returned to Earth for detailed study. Researchers sent up sealed containers of Streptococcus pneumoniae, which is normally relatively harmless, but could exploit weakened immune systems to cause disease. For astronauts on long spaceflights, the germs could prove to be dangerous. S. pneumoniae is the number one cause of community-acquired pneumonia and a leading cause of blood infections and meningitis. David Niesel, a microbiologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, says the experiment will help scientists explore the risks of getting sick in space.

There’s a decline in people’s immune function the longer they’re in the space environment, and it’s been shown that other bacteria also alter their properties in microgravity. They grow faster, they tend to be more virulent and resistant to microbial treatment.

NASA sent six refrigerated vials of bacteria into orbit, then had the space shuttle crew warm them up so that they could grow. After 15 hours and 30 minutes, the bacteria were chilled to -95°C. By comparing the space-grown bacteria with bacteria grown on Earth, scientists hope to understand the adaptation of bacteria to unique environments and begin to answer the question of whether this organism is a cause for concern for long-duration space travelers.

Update: The bacteria sent into orbit came back to Earth three times more virulent than their Earth-bound counterparts, a finding which could have major implications for astronauts on the International Space Station or on the proposed long voyage to Mars. Many of those genes involved in the changes were under the control of a regulatory gene called Hfq, so the research team proposed that drugs targeting Hfq might make powerful new antibiotics. Space flight alters bacterial gene expression and virulence and reveals a role for global regulator Hfq. PNAS USA, September 27, 2007.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 31st, 2007 at 5:45 am and is filed under Bacteria, Biology, Medicine, Microbiology, Science. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.