Biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in spaceflight is minimized on lubricant impregnated surfaces.

In a recent study about bacteria in space stations like the ISS (International Space Station), scientists found that these tiny organisms, known as biofilms, can stick onto surfaces and cause damage. This is similar to how mold or mildew might grow on walls here on Earth if they're not cleaned properly. In this study, researchers looked at the bacteria in different parts of space stations under normal gravity (like we experience every day) as well as microgravity conditions where there’s less than half the usual pull from Earth's gravity. Interestingly, no matter if it was a regular or low-gravity environment onboard these spaceships, bacteria still formed biofilms and caused problems for equipment like water filters and hoses that are crucial to astronauts’ survival by providing clean drinking water from recycled wastewater.

This research paper investigates the impact of microgravity on bacterial biofilm formation in space environments such as Salyut-6, -7, Mir, and ISS. The study's primary concern is understanding how these biofilms affect hardware functionality within closed systems like water recovery facilities aboard the ISS. Methodology: Bacterial samples were collected from various components of the space stations where biofilm formation was a known issue. These bacteria, which form protective layers called biofilms on surfaces and equipment in microgravity conditions, are analyzed using high-throughput sequencing technologies (Illumina HiSeq 2500). The resulting data were processed into FASTQ files before being converted to BAM format for further analysis. Feature Counts was used to quantify the number of reads per gene in each sample, and differential expression analyses with DESeq2 identified genes that showed significant changes between conditions (e.g., different hardware surfaces). Pathway enrichment analyses were conducted using ESKAPE Act PLUS software based on these DEGs to understand the functional implications of biofilm formation under microgravity.