This study investigated the interplay between the microbial community of the International Space Station and its crew. Environmental samples were collected from 8 habitable locations around the ISS. The microbial composition was measured using shotgun metagenomic sequencing and procesed using the Livermore Metagenomics Analysis Toolkit.

The International Space Station (ISS) is a unique habitat for humans and microorganisms. Here, we report the results of the ISS experiment EXTREMOPHILES, including the analysis of microbial communities from several areas aboard at three time points. 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). 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. 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. 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.

Space habitation provides unique challenges in built environments isolated from Earth. We produced a 3D map of the microbes and metabolites throughout the International Space Station (ISS), with 803 samples collected during space flight, including controls. We find that the use of each of the nine sampled modules within the ISS strongly drives the microbiology and chemistry of the habitat. Relating the microbiology to other Earth habitats, we find that, as with human microbiomes, built environment microbiomes also align naturally along an axis of industrialization, with the ISS providing an extreme example of an industrialized environment. We demonstrate the utility of culture-independent sequencing for microbial risk monitoring, especially as the location of sequencing moves to space. The resulting resource of chemistry and microbiology in the space-built environment will guide long-term efforts to maintain human health in space for longer durations.

The microbial tracking-1 (MT-1) investigation allowed the characterization of the microbial population aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The microbial tracking-1 (MT-1) investigation allowed the characterization of the microbial population aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The microbial tracking-1 (MT-1) investigation allowed the characterization of the microbial population aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

This study s goal was to examine if any salivary microbiome changes were observed in astronauts as a result of spaceflight. In addition this study looked for any microbiome signature that may be associated with viral reactivation in humans

Presented here is the environmental microbiome study of the International Space Station surfaces. The environmental samples were collected with the polyester wipes from eight different locations in the ISS during two consecutive sampling sessions (three months apart). The specific objective was to unveil the pool of genes for each location during two separate sessions to learn of functional and metabolic diversity of microorganisms in the ISS. The International Space Station (ISS) as a closed built environment has its own environmental microbiome which is shaped by microgravity, radiation, and limited human presence. The microbial diversity associated with ISS environmental surfaces was investigated during this study. Polyester wipes and contact slides were used for sampling of eight various surface locations on the ISS at different time periods. The samples were retrieved and analyzed immediately upon the return to the Earth (via Soyuz TMA-14M or Dragon capsule from SpaceX). After surface sample collection, contact slides containing nutrient media for the growth of bacteria and fungi were incubated at 25C. The polyester wipes were processed to measure microbial burden (R2A, Blood Agar, and Potato Dextrose Agar) and recover cultivable bacteria as well as fungi. Subsequently, viable microbial burden was assessed using Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) assay, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods after propidium monoazide (PMA) treatment. The 16S-tag and metagenome analyses were used to elucidate viable microbial diversity. The cultivable bacterial population yield from the polyester wipes was very high (5 to 7-logs) when compared with the contact slides (10^2 to 10^3 CFU/m2). The PMA-qPCR analysis showed considerable variation of viable bacterial population (10^5 to 10^9 16S rDNA gene copies/m2) among locations sampled. Unlike contact slides, polyester wipes cover much larger sample surface (~1 m2) and produce much more reliable results of the microbial diversity of the ISS covering both cultivable and non-cultivable species. The cultivable, total, and viable microbial diversity was determined utilizing state-of-the art molecular techniques. The implementation of the PMA assay before DNA extraction allowed distinguishing viable microorganisms, which is crucial for determining their role to the crew health, the ISS maintenance and the general knowledge of the closed environmentally controlled built systems.

The microbial tracking-1 (MT-1) investigation allowed the characterization of the microbial population aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The environmental microbiome study was designed to decipher microbial diversity of the International Space Station surfaces in terms of spatial and temporal distributions using 16S and ITS iTag Illumina sequencing. We hypothesized that the microbial population of environmental surfaces changes in time due to astronauts xe2 x80 x99 activity and might be location specific. The environmental samples were collected with the polyester wipes from eight different locations in the ISS during two consecutive sampling sessions (three months apart). The specific objective was to unveil the viable microbial diversity of each location during two separate sessions in terms of abundance and richness of the communities. The International Space Station (ISS) as a closed built environment has its own environmental microbiome which is shaped by microgravity radiation and limited human presence. The microbial diversity associated with ISS environmental surfaces was investigated during this study. Polyester wipes and contact slides were used for sampling of eight various surface locations on the ISS at different time periods. The samples were retrieved and analyzed immediately upon the return to the Earth (via Soyuz TMA-14M or Dragon capsule from SpaceX). After surface sample collection contact slides containing nutrient media for the growth of bacteria and fungi were incubated at 25 xcb x9aC. The polyester wipes were processed to measure microbial burden (R2A Blood Agar and Potato Dextrose Agar) and recover cultivable bacteria as well as fungi. Subsequently viable microbial burden was assessed using Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) assay and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods after propidium monoazide (PMA) treatment. The 16S-tag and metagenome analyses were used to elucidate viable microbial diversity. The cultivable bacterial population yield from the polyester wipes was very high (5 to 7-logs) when compared with the contact slides (102 to 103 CFU/m2). The PMA-qPCR analysis showed considerable variation of viable bacterial population (105 to 109 16S rDNA gene copies/m2) among locations sampled. Unlike contact slides polyester wipes cover much larger sample surface (~1 m2) and produce much more reliable results of the microbial diversity of the ISS covering both cultivable and non-cultivable species. The cultivable total and viable microbial diversity was determined utilizing state-of-the art molecular techniques. The implementation of the PMA assay before DNA extraction allowed distinguishing viable microorganisms which is crucial for determining their role to the crew health the ISS maintenance and the general knowledge of the closed environmentally controlled built systems.