Abstract

As the world looks towards the stars, the impacts of endogenous and exogenous microorganisms on human health during long-duration space flight are subjects of increased interest within the space community. The presence and continued growth of bacterial biofilms about spacecraft has been documented for decades; however, the impact on crew health is in its infancy. The impacts of biofilms are well known in the medical, agricultural, commercial, and industrial spaces. It less known that biofilms are undermining many facets of space travel and that their effects need to be understood and addressed for future space missions. Biofilms can damage space crew health and spoil limited food supply. Yet, at the same time, they can benefit plant systems for food growth, nutrient development, and other biological systems that are being explored for use in space travel. Various biofilm removal techniques have been studied to mitigate the hazards posed by biofilm persistence during space travel. Because the presence of biofilms can advance or hinder humanity’s space exploration efforts, an understanding of their impacts over the duration of space flights is of paramount importance.

Highlights

  • It is well known that space travel subjects crew members to elevated levels of radiation that are known to increase their risk of mutations and cancer [1,2,3]

  • It has been demonstrated that bacteria can genetically and physically modify their tolerances to lower earth orbit (LEO) conditions, and one of the main mechanisms for this was the formation of biofilms [4,5,6]

  • Are we adapting to withstand these changes or are we becoming more susceptible? The panspermia hypothesis suggests that life exists across the universe but bacterial contamination occurs via propagation from planets and planetary matter

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Summary

Introduction

It is well known that space travel subjects crew members to elevated levels of radiation that are known to increase their risk of mutations and cancer [1,2,3]. It has been demonstrated that bacteria can genetically and physically modify their tolerances to lower earth orbit (LEO) conditions, and one of the main mechanisms for this was the formation of biofilms [4,5,6]. The bacterial populations within biofilms have evolved modifications to genes and gene expression that allows them to survive in hostile environments while increasing their virulence and pathogenicity factors [7,8,9,10]. Since astronauts will be exposed to bacterial biofilms during long-term space travel, it is imperative that the space exploration community develop an understanding of biofilm formation, persistence, and the potential mitigation of their hazards

Bacterial Biofilm Adaptation to the Extremes of Outer Space
Contamination Capacity
Potential Benefits
Molecular Techniques
Enzymatic Techniques
Physical and Chemical Techniques
Findings
Conclusions
Full Text
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