WASHINGTON - Bacterial pathogens, including those related to inflammation or irritation of the skin. The bacteria were found alive in the Space Station of the United States (US). Thus the results of a study by the US space agency belonging to the so-called NASA.
"Where there are humans, there is no bacteria in space though. The findings of this study help NASA set the foundation for monitoring the cleanliness of the space station this in turn will help address the health of the astronauts in the future," NASA said, as quoted by Xinhua on Wednesday (28/10/2015).
Very low gravity is known to affect the bacteria, and opinions at this time is very low gravity does not support the survival of bacteria in general, but most of the species that survive may become more virulent.
Various previous studies on the space station tmenggunakan traditional microbiological techniques that cultivate bacteria and fungi in the laboratory, to assess the composition of the microbial community.
Now, Kasthuri Venkateswaran of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and colleagues used DNA sequencing technology to quickly and accurately identify the microorganisms that exist in the space station.
The team compared a sample of the air filter and a vacuum bag of dust from the space station with two room cleanliness JPL-fully clean and controlled.
Their results showed the bacteria associated with human skin, Actinobacteria, which is the larger part of the microbial community in the space station than in a clean room, which the researchers call can be caused by more stringent hygiene regulations and may be applied on Earth.
They also found Corynebacterium and Staphylococcus two other kinds of pathogens are mostly harmless on Earth but may lead to infection that causes inflammation or irritation of the skin-exist in the space station.
But the researchers do not deal with it the danger of pathogens in a closed environment or the risk of skin infections in astronauts.
"Studying microbial communities in the space station to help us to better understand the presence of bacteria in there, so that we can identify species that could potentially damage equipment or cause danger to the health of astronauts. It also helps us identify areas that require a more thorough cleaning," said Venkaterswaran.
According to the US space agency, such research will also be important for long-term space missions, such as NASA's journey to Mars.
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