Cyber media BGR reported on the 2nd (local time) that mutant bacteria that do not exist on Earth have been discovered on the International Space Station (ISS).
In 2018, scientists discovered unexpected bacteria on the ISS. Some of these bacteria are a type of Enterobacter bugandensis, which can cause sepsis or urinary tract infections.
View of the International Space Station (Photo = NASA/ESA/Thomas Peske)
Recently, a joint research team involving the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory and others observed bacteria on the ISS and found that completely different mutations had occurred than those of the same type of bacteria on Earth . The research results were published last month in the international academic journal “Microbiome”.
As a result of the research group’s analysis of Enterobacter bugadensis bacteria based on microbial samples collected from the ISS, it was revealed that the bacteria had evolved into resistant bacteria that showed strong resistance to antibiotics.
Photo = Pixabay
According to research findings, when bacteria are subjected to stress in a specific environment, the strains mutate and become genetically and functionally distinct from strains found on Earth. The researchers found that this strain managed to survive on the ISS for quite a long period of time.
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The unique environment of the ISS, including the closed environment of space, microgravity, radiation, and high levels of carbon dioxide, was assumed to cause mutations in bacteria that cannot be observed on Earth.
Foreign media reported that the results of this study should provide more information about the microbial ecosystem in the space environment and provide clues for preparing preventive measures to protect the health of future astronauts.
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