NASA sends experiments into space to study antibiotic-resistant bacteria

To learn more about astronaut health and the impact of space on the human body, NASA will conduct new experiments at the International Space Station to speed up detection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, ensuring health safety as well as astronauts But the patient returns to Earth.

Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be difficult or impossible to treat, making antibiotic resistance a major cause of death worldwide and a global health concern.

Future astronauts visiting the moon and Mars should rely on a pre-determined supply of antibiotics in the event of illness. Ensuring these antibiotics is an important safety measure for future missions.

The genome listing of Space Resistance (GEARS) experiments managed by NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California, shows that astronauts wiped the insides across the space station and simplified the evidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. It includes testing. Enterococcus faecalis, a type of bacteria commonly found in the human body.

The experiment was the first of a series of jobs that attempt to better understand how living things grow in space environments and how their similarities and differences can help improve research on Earth. This is the step.

“Enterococcus is a kind of organism that was with us because our ancestors raw out of the ocean, and is a core member of the human intestine,” says Georgia Tech, assistant professor and co-investigator of Georgia Tech. Christopher Kerr said. . “It was able to survive inside and outside the host, which has been the second most predominant cause of hospitalized infections. How this type of organism is adapted to the space environment. I want to understand.”

The Gears experiment is attempting to improve detection and identification of these bacteria, and is based on existing efforts to understand which organisms grow on the surface of the station.

“We have been monitoring the surfaces of space stations since 2000, and this experiment provides insights beyond the current identity of living organisms, which are currently used for risk assessments. Space Centers in Houston. and Gere’s co-investigator.

“When stations orbit near the globe, it’s a low-risk space to assess and learn about the frequency of this bacteria and its response to the spatial environment. It’s even more complicated.”

The following year, astronauts wipe parts of the station and analyze the sample by adding antibiotics to the medium on which the sample grows. The results reveal where this and other resistant bacteria are growing and whether they can last or spread throughout the station.

The experiment was originally launched in March 2024 on the ISS with its 30th SpaceX Commercial Supply Services (CRS) mission, with the first round of Gears testing having produced amazing results. This often portends the threat of antibiotic resistance in space.

“We had some cleanings before we wiped the station, which could have removed some bacteria,” Carr said. To better understand how and where dangerous bacteria live, astronauts paused the cleaning before a second wipe.

“We want astronauts to have a clean environment, but we also want to test these high-touch areas, so we can understand how bacteria grow or spread at stations, so we’ll be able to get a feel for some areas. We intentionally and easily avoided cleaning.

This experiment was the first study to perform metagenomic sequencing in space, and how to analyze all genetic material in a sample to identify and characterize all living organisms that exist, as well as important studies of future deep space missions. and medical diagnostic capabilities.

The Gears team wants to create a rapid workflow for analyzing bacterial samples, reducing the time between wipe and test results from days to hours. This workflow applies to hospitals and can have a significant impact when treating hospital infections from antibiotic-resistant microorganisms.

The outcome can be lifesaving. More than 35,000 people die each year as a result of antibiotic-resistant infections. The issue was personal to Wallace, and Wallace lost his family to an infection at the hospital.

“It’s not that unusual. A lot of people are experiencing this type of loss,” Wallace said. “The way to get the answers in just a few hours is huge and profound. It’s my job to keep the crew healthy, but I’m also passionate about bringing that job back to Earth. Analyse bacteria.