Microbiological Risks Associated With Spaceflight Duane L. Pierson, Ph.D. NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas www.spaceflight.nasa.gov

MICROBIOLOGY MISSION STATEMENT   Our mission is to enable human exploration and habitation of space through a better understanding of microbes and human–microbe interactions in the space environment.    MAJOR FOCUS: RISK MITIGATION SPACE FLIGHT OPERATIONS OPERATIONAL BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING CREW DIAGNOSTICS FOOD ANALYSIS CREW TRAINING DATABASE INFECTIOUS DISEASE RISK (HOST-MICROBE INTERACTION) SPACE FLIGHT GROUND-BASED

ADVERSE EFFECTS OF MICROORGANISMS Infectious Diseases Toxin Production Plant Diseases Allergies Food Spoilage Volatile Release Material Degradation Immune Alteration Environmental Contamination

PREVENTIVE MEASURES Acceptability standards Preflight assessment (air, surfaces, water, and food) Preflight assessment Crew Environment Payload biosafety assessment In-flight environmental monitoring Air: Microbial Air Sampler Surfaces: Surface Sampler Kit Water: Water Microbiology Kit

PREFLIGHT IN-FLIGHT POSTFLIGHT STS MISSION PROFILE PREFLIGHT IN-FLIGHT POSTFLIGHT ACTIVITIES Microbiology Viral Serology Food Analysis Orbiter Evaluation Crew Evaluation Orbiter Water L-90 L-2 L-30 R+0 L-40 L-2 R+0 L-15 Servicing

AIR DATA STS-58 CFU Bacteria Fungi /m FD1 FD6 FD12 1200 1000 800 600 3 3 /m 800 CFU 600 400 200 Middeck Flight Spacelab Middeck Flight Spacelab Middeck Flight Spacelab Deck Deck Deck FD1 FD6 FD12

Bacteria Isolated From Shuttle In-Flight Air (n=16) Flavobacterium sp . Klebsiella sp . Pseudomonas paucimobilis Serratia marcescens Unidentified gram negative rods Enterobacter sp . Acinetobacter sp . Streptococcus sp . Staphylococcus aureus Corynebacterium sp . Bacillus sp . Micrococcus sp . Staphylococcus sp . 20 40 60 80 100 Isolation Frequency (%)

Fungi Isolated From Shuttle In-Flight Air (n=16) Pleospora sp. Nigrospora sp. Geotrichum sp. Rhodotorula sp. Microsporium sp. Drechslera sp. Streptomyces sp. Alternaria sp. Cladosporium sp. Aspergillus fumigatus Hyphomycete Penicillium sp. Aspergillus sp. 20 40 60 80 100 Isolation Frequency (%)

…. is nearly overrun with the stuff (fungi). Vistors Gareth Cook, Boston Globe Staff (10-1-00) “. . . The aging mir …. is nearly overrun with the stuff (fungi). Vistors have found numerous fungal patches with hues between green and black, feeding behind control panels, slowly digesting the ship’s air conditioner, communications unit, and myriad other surfaces.”

“. . . Mir crewmembers noticed that the view from the station’s porthole was deteriorating due to an unknown film that was spreading like horror movie scum.” Yuri Karash Space.com 7/27/00

MICROBIAL ANALYSIS DURING FLIGHT Water Surfaces Air

BACTERIA FROM MIR SURFACE CONDENSATE NASA 6 “SLIMY” SAMPLE NASA 7 “SLIMY” SAMPLE NASA 7 “FRESH” SAMPLE Alcaligenes eutrophus Alcaligenes latus Citrobacter freundii Corynebacterium aquaticum Corynebacterium jeikeium Enterobacter agglomerans Escherichia coli Hydrogenophaga flava Kingella denitrifican Methylobacterium species Pseudomonas vesicularis Serratia liquefaciens Unidentified gram negative rod Xanthomonas maltophilia Alcaligenes faecalis Bacillus circulans Bacillus coagulans Bacillus licheniformis Bacillus pumilus Bacillus species CDC Group IVC 2 Citrobacter brackii Citrobacter freundii Comamonas acidovorans Corynebacterium species Flavobacterium meningosepticum Presumptive Legionella species Pseudomonas fluorescens Serratia liquefaciens Serratia marcesens Unidentified gram negative rods (3) Yersinia frederiksenii Yersinia intermedia Bacillus coagulans Bacillus licheniformis Bacillus pumilus Bacillus species Comamonas acidovorans Corynebacterium species Enterobacter cloacae Presumptive Legionella species Pseudomonas species Rhodococcus species Serratia liquefaciens Serratia marcerans Sphingobacterium thalpophilum Unidentified gram negative rods (4) Yersinia frederiksenii Yersinia intermedia Escherichia coli Presumptive Legionella Serratia marcescens

Organisms Recovered From Mir Surface Condensate ciliated protozoa dust mite ameoba spirochete-form bacterium

BACTERIAL FINGERPRINTING

BIODEGRADATION Microorganisms play a key role in the biodestruction of materials and can contribute to equipment and hardware malfunctions

Future Directions

Major Challenges in Mars Exploration Air Food Water • Habitability Radiation Effects • Crew Contamination • Forward-Backward Contamination