Antibiotic electrical resistance is n’t just a trouble on Earth . It ’s pass off in space , too . LiveSciencereports that NASA scientists have found drug - resistant bacterium in samples from one of thespace toiletson the International Space Station .
As part of a study published in the journalBMC Microbiology , scientist from NASA ’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory looked at waste samples taken from the ISS in 2015 . They sequestrate five stock ofEnterobacter bugandensisbacteria , sequencing their genomes and analyse their susceptibleness to antibiotics . They compared these outer space strains to strains constitute on Earth , include some that have been linked to patients in infirmary setting .
usually , because of the want of interplanetary sewers , astronautwasteis just flushed into space , where it willincinerateon its means back through Earth ’s atmosphere . But for the sake of NASA ’s ongoing catalog of microbe found on the ISS , some favourable cosmonaut got to swob the place ’s toilet for sample . They also swabbed the station ’s sophisticated Resistive Exercise equipment , one of theexercise machinesastronauts utilise on the ISS to keep up muscle mass during long periods populate in microgravity .
Based on their similarity to bacterium strains taken from patient role on Earth , the psychoanalysis find out that the form insulate from the ISS swabs have a 79 percent chance that they could induce disease in humans . They contained genes associated with antibiotic resistivity and toxic compound .
" Given the multi - drug ohmic resistance outcome for these ISSE . bugandensisgenomes and the increase chance of pathogenicity we have identified , these species potentially pose important wellness considerateness for next mission , ” the field of study ’s lead author , Dr. Nitin Singh , said in astatement . “ However , it is important to understand that the strain found on the ISS were not virulent , which intend they are not an participating scourge to human health , but something to be supervise . " That stand for that while astronauts do n’t need to care about these bacterium just yet , antibiotic resistance is an takings that NASA will need to prepare for in the future .
[ atomic number 1 / tLiveScience ]
