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The ISS Is a Cesspool of Bacteria and Fungi, Study Finds (gizmodo.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the petri-dish-in-space dept.

An extensive survey of bacteria and fungi on surfaces inside the International Space Station has revealed an astonishing number of microorganisms living among the astronauts -- the health impacts of which aren't entirely clear. Gizmodo reports: Since it was first established in 1998, the International Space Station has been visited by hundreds of astronauts (227 to be exact). These trips have invariably introduced an array of microbes to the orbital outpost, as have shipments of cargo. But while astronauts return to Earth, their germs stay behind. New research published today in Microbiome offers the most comprehensive catalogue to date of the bacteria and fungi living on the ISS, detailing the station's distinctive and ever-changing microbiological profile. This research will now be used by NASA and other space agencies to develop safety measures for the ISS and other long-term space missions.

NASA astronauts took swabs using sterile wipes at eight predefined locations on the ISS, on three different occasions during a 14 month period. The locations included both high and low traffic areas, including the viewing window, toilet, exercise platform, stowage rack, dining table, and sleeping quarters. NASA astronaut Terry Virts performed the first two sampling sessions on March 4, 2015 and then three months later on May 15, 2015. NASA astronaut Jeffrey Williams took the third sample a year later on May 6, 2016. The samples were returned to Earth for analysis. The ISS may seem like a cold, sterile place in space, but the analysis showed it's a veritable cornucopia for microbes. The most prolific bacteria, according to culture results, were Staphylococcus (26 percent of total samples), Pantoea (23 percent), Bacillus (11 percent), Staphylococcus aureus (10 percent) and Pantoea conspicua and Pantoea gaviniae (both at 9 percent). The fungal population was primarily comprised of Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. The authors warn that some strains of bacteria could form damaging biological sheets known as biofilms: "[B]iofilm formation on the ISS could decrease infrastructure stability by causing mechanical blockages, reducing heat transfer efficiency, and inducing microbial influenced corrosion..."

16 of 151 comments (clear)

  1. vs Earth by KiloByte · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The article would be drastically more informative if it gave a comparison to a similar building on Earth.

    Every piece of our surroundings is teeming with bacterial and fungal life, you'd need to go to extreme lengths to eliminate that.

    --
    The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
    1. Re:vs Earth by Luckyo · · Score: 4, Informative

      Not to mention, you'd have to kill all things that have a digestive tract. In humans, there's something like 10 times the amount of bacterial and viral cells inside us compared to our own cells. Then there are things like the benign microflora of our skin, without which opportunist pathogens become a significant problem very quickly.

      It's literally a critical part of our lives. We could not exist without our microbiomes. So the question isn't "is it a cesspool of microscopic lifeforms". That's a given as humans exist in that area. The question is "is this microflora harmful to people on the station and operations there". So far, the answer seems to be "we don't know", as everything discussed has been dressed as "it might cause problems" which is the framing often used by journalist class to make things that we don't know into things that are scary and hence sell clicks and shares.

    2. Re:vs Earth by keithdowsett · · Score: 5, Insightful

      From TFA:

      "Fascinatingly, the microbial profile on the ISS is fairly representative of what we see in other human-built environments on Earth, including gyms and hospitals."

      Not exactly surprising given the amount of time the astronauts have to spend in gyms and medical facilities before they are cleared to fly. As they say down here on Earth, "No S**t Sherlock"

    3. Re:vs Earth by reboot246 · · Score: 2

      I'm in a motel right now and I'm wondering which has more germs, the ISS or a typical motel room. The motel room has certainly had more visitors and I'd guess that a large percentage of them were not in the best of health. Plus, motel rooms are not exactly sanitized between guests. I'll be lucky to get out of here alive!

      The problem in space is that if something really virulent gets there, or evolves into something virulent there, the relatively small crew will be toast.

    4. Re:vs Earth by DethLok · · Score: 5, Interesting

      "The question is "is this microflora harmful to people on the station and operations there"."

      Well, how many astronauts are getting infected by bacteria and fungi in ways that are affecting their performance, or lives?

      It seems that we don't hear of very many astronauts getting sick, so either there's a media blackout, or they don't often get very sick?

      Suggesting that the microflora is not that harmful. Yet. Maybe?

    5. Re:vs Earth by luis_a_espinal · · Score: 2

      "The question is "is this microflora harmful to people on the station and operations there"."

      Well, how many astronauts are getting infected by bacteria and fungi in ways that are affecting their performance, or lives?

      It seems that we don't hear of very many astronauts getting sick, so either there's a media blackout, or they don't often get very sick?

      Suggesting that the microflora is not that harmful. Yet. Maybe?

      Astronauts get a cocktail of anti-germ shit injected on them (on top of them being in excellent shape as a job requirement.) They aren't necessarily a good sample from which to deduct cause-and-effect.

      We just don't know. And it is not clear if the density/concentration of biota in the ISS is that different from what occurs naturally in the world. Think of the biota under a rotting log in the Amazons, the Russian Taiga, or the Pacific Northwest for instance.

      I'd say this: "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." It is possible that on a zero-grav environment, an abundance of those pesky lateral-gene-transferring bacteria and fungi (and thus viruses) exposed to humans super-juiced with anti-bacterial and anti-fungal cocktails could generate some awful shit.

      It seems... logical.

      It is a distinct possibility that needs to be investigated. But at this point, we simply do not know.

    6. Re:vs Earth by apoc.famine · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It seems that we don't hear of very many astronauts getting sick, so either there's a media blackout, or they don't often get very sick?

      Or HIPAA applies to astronauts too.....

      --
      Velociraptor = Distiraptor / Timeraptor
  2. ISS pays for itself in these ways by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Consider this: if we built a moonbase or a mars colony without realizing these sorts of things could happen so we could take steps to control it, it could cause a base or colony to fail completely.

    1. Re:ISS pays for itself in these ways by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Insightful

      if we built a moonbase or a mars colony without realizing these sorts of things could happen

      Bacteria and fungus are a normal part of our environment. Your skin, your hair are teaming with them. They are in your gut, your saliva, your sweat. There is nothing in TFA to indicate what they found is abnormal.

      The only way to eliminate bacteria and fungus is to eliminate humans, and do robotic missions instead.

    2. Re:ISS pays for itself in these ways by F.Ultra · · Score: 2

      They have conducted lots of such tests with e-coli: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_p...

  3. Mir went the same way by SpinyManiac · · Score: 2

    After 15 years Mir had 140 known micro-organisms. It also stank.
    The ISS has been up for 20 years with another 11 to go. It's going to get pretty foul up there!

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    --
    It's never too late to have a happy childhood.
  4. Re:Periodic venting to vacuum? by religionofpeas · · Score: 2

    A more effective solution might be to have moveable radiation shielding, have the crew move to a shielded section and fry the other sections enough to kill the microbes, then repeat for the section they were holed up in.

    That sounds like an excellent way to deteriorate all the materials inside the ISS.

  5. Re:Vacuum cleaner needed! by darkain · · Score: 5, Funny

    If they need a vacuum cleaner, I'm sure all they have to do is open the door to find one

  6. Steam vapor cleaner for ISS by steveha · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The article suggests that formation of biofilms could lead to problems.

    The ISS needs a good way to kill biofilms and leave surfaces really clean. However, as a closed system, the ISS needs to be careful about chemicals, and it's expensive to ship anything up there.

    Therefore I suggest the ISS should use a steam vapor cleaner. The ISS has plenty of water, and its environmental system already has to be able to remove water vapor from the air. I commented about steam vapor cleaners in another story from last August, and cited studies about their effectiveness:

    https://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=12424966&cid=57052404

    I found a link to a study showing that a particular model of commercial steam vapor cleaner was effective against biofilms, but I don't know if other good models are equally effective or if there was something specific about that one.

    I wonder if it would be feasible to simply take an off-the-shelf steam vapor cleaner to the ISS. I don't know what their power budget is... the steam vapor cleaner I bought (a Vapamore MR-100) has a 1500 Watt heater, according to its manual. I know the ISS has a lot of solar cells but I don't know whether 1500 Watts would be a problem or not. Also, filling the water tank in microgravity might be a problem.

    --
    lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
  7. Re:Periodic venting to vacuum? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    A more effective solution might be to have moveable radiation shielding, have the crew move to a shielded section and fry the other sections enough to kill the microbes, then repeat for the section they were holed up in.

    That sounds like an excellent way to deteriorate all the materials inside the ISS.

    ... and to select for radiation-resistant fungi and bacteria

  8. Re:Periodic venting to vacuum? by Hodr · · Score: 2

    Would be easier to put up UVC lighting for occasional sterilization, or shut off a room and turn on an ozone generator for a bit and wait for it to break down to acceptable levels before going back in.