The International Space Station is teeming with bacteria and fungi that can cause diseases, form biofilms that promote antibiotic resistance and even corrode the spacecraft.
A new study published in the journal Microbiome has found that the International Space Station is teeming with bacteria and fungi that can cause diseases and corrode the spacecraft.
Although the various components of the station were built in sterile environments before being sent into orbit and routine monitoring has taken place, a comprehensive catalogue of what is lurking on inside surfaces has until now been absent: the study is the first to provide a comprehensive catalogue of the bacteria and fungi lurking on interior surfaces in closed space systems.
NASA scientists discovered microbes mainly came from humans and were similar to those found in public buildings and offices here on Earth.
Dr Kasthuri Venkateswaran, a senior research scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and one of the study's authors, said: "The ISS is a hermetically sealed closed system, subjected to microgravity, radiation, elevated carbon dioxide and the recirculation of air through HEPA filters, and is considered an 'extreme environment'".
Microbes are known to survive and even thrive in extreme environments. The microbes that are present on the International Space Station could have been in existence since the station's inception while others may be introduced every time new astronauts or payloads arrive.
The Intenational Space Station, built in 1998 and orbiting around 250 miles above the Earth, has been visited by more than 222 astronauts and up to six resupply missions a year up until August 2017.
"Some of the microorganisms we identified on the ISS have also been implicated in microbial induced corrosion on Earth," said paper author Camilla Urbaniak, a microbiologist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "However, the role they play in corrosion aboard the ISS remains to be determined. In addition to understanding the possible impact of microbial and fungal organisms on astronaut health, understanding their potential impact on spacecraft will be important to maintain structural stability of the crew vehicle during long term space missions when routine indoor maintenance cannot be as easily performed."
"Our study provides the first comprehensive catalogue of the bacteria and fungi found on surfaces in closed space systems and can be used to help improve safety measures that meet NASA requirements for deep space human habitation," Dr Venkateswaran concluded. "The results can also have significant impact on our understanding of other confined built environments on the Earth such as clean rooms used in the pharmaceutical and medical industries."