Abstract
During a spaceflight, astronauts need to live in a spacecraft on orbit for a long time, and the relationship between humans and microorganisms in the closed environment of space is not the same as on the ground. The dynamic study of microorganisms in confined space shows that with the extension of the isolation time, harmful bacteria gradually accumulate. Monitoring and controlling microbial pollution in a confined environment system are very important for crew health and the sustainable operation of a space life support system. Culture-based assays have been used traditionally to assess the microbial loads in a spacecraft, and uncultured-based techniques are already under way according to the NASA global exploration roadmap. High-throughput sequencing technology has been used generally to study the communities of the environment and human on the ground and shows its broad prospects applied onboard. We here review the recent application of high-throughput sequencing on space microbiology and analyze its feasibility and potential as an on-orbit detection technology.
Highlights
As on earth, microbes are ubiquitous on manned spacecrafts
Real-time on-orbit detection and analysis of microorganisms can provide a comprehensive understanding of the microbial composition and changes in pathogenic microorganisms on the space station, which is conducive to the prevention of infectious diseases
Through on-orbit metagenomic sequencing, we can understand the situation of mutated strains in the space station in real time and prevent the growth and reproduction of adverse mutated microorganisms in time; on-orbit sequencing is of great significance to human exploration of deep space life and discovery of extraterrestrial microorganisms
Summary
Microbes are ubiquitous on manned spacecrafts. The experiences of a manned spaceflight in the United States and Russia prove that with the prolongation of flight time, microorganisms accumulate in the cockpit more and more seriously. In the space environment, the traditional cultural method has certain limitations: (1) Only a small number of microorganisms can be cultured under standard laboratory conditions, and culture-based analysis limits the comprehensive understanding of microorganisms on the space station. High-throughput sequencing can identify and quantify culturable and unculturable microorganisms, providing a more comprehensive approach to molecular evaluation. Real-time on-orbit detection and analysis of microorganisms can provide a comprehensive understanding of the microbial composition and changes in pathogenic microorganisms on the space station, which is conducive to the prevention of infectious diseases. There is no independent on-orbit sequencing analysis facility for technical reasons currently, once a simple, compact, reliable, and microgravity suitable sequencer and sample processor are developed, they can be used for rapid, real-time microbial detection and functional analysis over long periods of time on the space station. Based on the recent application of high-throughput sequencing technology in the field of microbiology, this paper analyzes the application of this technology and its feasibility and potential as an on-orbit detection technology
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