Draft Genome Sequences from a Novel Clade of Bacillus cereus Sensu Lato Strains, Isolated from the International Space Station.

This research paper investigated a group of bacteria called Bacillus anthracis - B. cereus - B. thuringiensis that are known for causing diseases in both humans and animals, as well as being used to make certain types of biological weapons. These particular strains were found on the International Space Station (ISS) by astronauts from Japan, the United States, and Russia during their space missions between 2013 and 2016. The scientists studied six different bacteria samples taken directly from these areas of the ISS to understand more about them better. They used advanced DNA sequencing techniques called Illumina MiSeq and PacBio RSII, which help identify tiny differences in genetic material between organisms-like finding unique fingerprints for each strain's DNA. The researchers discovered that these six bacteria are closely related to one another but have some distinct features as well. They also found out how similar the ISS-borne Bacillus anthracis - B. cereus - B.

This research paper presents a comprehensive genomic analysis of Bacillus anthracis - B. cereus - B. thuringiensis strains isolated from the International Space Station (ISS). The study aimed to understand their genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships within this group, which is significant for both microbial ecology in space environments and potential biothreat considerations on Earth. Methodology: Six Bacillus cereus sensu lato strains were isolated from three different modules of the ISS - one Japanese Experiment Module (JEM-2), U. endorsed Harmony Node 2 with three isolates, and Russian Segment ZvezdaModule with two isolates. The genomes of these six Bacillus cereus sensu lato strains were sequenced using both Illumina MiSeq technology and Pacific Biosciences RSII (PacBio) long-read sequencing platforms to achieve high coverage, which ranged from 24 million reads for the smallest genome size of H11003 isolate up to an average of 5.