Genomic and functional characterization of Enterococcus faecalis isolates recovered from the International Space Station and their potential for pathogenicity

Title: Study Finds Common Bacteria on the International Space Station May Not Be Harmful to Astronaut Health Researchers recently investigated bacteria found in and around the ISS, specifically Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), a common gut microbe that can sometimes cause serious illnesses when it enters other parts of our bodies like urinary tracts or bloodstreams. The study aimed to understand if these bacteria pose any health risks for astronauts living in space, where the environment is quite different from Earth's atmosphere and surfaces are not as clean. The team collected samples over a period of 20 days on board the ISS during an expedition that lasted two weeks (137 days). They discovered three unique types of E. faecalis in these samples, which they named "ISS_1," "ISS_2/ISS_3" and "ISS_4." These bacteria are not harmful to humans because none were found with genes that cause disease - a good sign for astronaut health! The researchers also compared these space-borne E.

In this research paper by Bryan et al., published in FEMS Microbiology Reports on December 28, 2020 (Volume 75, Issue 1), the authors investigated whether enterococci detected aboard the International Space Station (ISS) posed a risk to astronauts by potentially representing pathogenic lineages commonly associated with hospital-acquired infections. The study's methodology involved genomic sequencing and comparative analysis of isolates collected from various locations on ISS, including air samples and surfaces within the United States laboratory module (LAB 7/15/09). The key findings revealed that among four enterococcal strains isolated aboard the ISS-ISS_1 through ISS_4-three isolates shared a high degree of genetic similarity, with query coverage and percentage sequence identity ranging from 87.5% to 92%.