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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

The ISS is crawling with nasty bacteria [engadget.com]

NASA scientists have found that the International Space Station (ISS), home to six astronauts, is infested with disease-inducing bacteria [engadget.com]. Many of the organisms breeding on the craft's surfaces are known to form both bacterial and fungal biofilms that promote resistance to antibiotics. The NASA team published their findings in a new study -- the first comprehensive catalog of germs [engadget.com] in closed space systems -- in the journal Microbiome [biomedcentral.com] [open, DOI: 10.1186/s40168-019-0666-x] [DX [doi.org]]. The biofilms ability to cause microbial-induced corrosion on Earth could also play havoc with the ISS' infrastructure by causing mechanical blockages, claim the researchers.

The microbes come from humans and are similar to the ones in gyms, offices, and hospitals on Earth. They include so-called opportunistic pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus (commonly found on the skin and in the nasal passage) and Enterobacter (associated with the human gastrointestinal tract). Though they can cause diseases back on Earth, it's unclear what, if any, affect they'd have on the ISS' inhabitants.

Also at BGR [bgr.com].

Related: Space Builds Better Bugs? [soylentnews.org]
Microbes Sampled and Sequenced Aboard the ISS [soylentnews.org]
Prolonged Spaceflight Could Weaken Astronauts' Immune Systems [soylentnews.org]

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