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Research Containing: Microbiology

Microflow1, a sheathless fiber-optic flow cytometry biomedical platform: demonstration onboard the international space station

by on 9 June 2015in Technology Development & Demonstration No comment

A fiber-optic based flow cytometry platform was designed to build a portable and robust instrument for space applications. At the core of the Microflow1 is a unique fiber-optic flow cell fitted to a fluidic system and fiber coupled to the source and detection channels. A Microflow1 engineering unit was first tested and benchmarked against a commercial flow cytometer as a reference in a standard laboratory environment. Testing in parabolic flight campaigns was performed to establish Microflow1's performance in weightlessness, before operating the new platform on the International Space Station. Microflow1 had comparable performances to commercial systems, and operated remarkably and robustly in weightlessness (microgravity). Microflow1 supported immunophenotyping as well as microbead-based multiplexed cytokine assays in the space environment and independently of gravity levels. Results presented here provide evidence that this fiber-optic cytometer technology is inherently compatible with the space environment with negligible compromise to analytical performance.

Related URLs:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24339248

New molecular technologies against infectious diseases during space flight

by on 9 June 2015in Technology Development & Demonstration No comment

Latent virus reactivation, reduction in the number of immune cells, decreased cell activation and increased sensitivity of astronauts to infections following their return on Earth demonstrate that the immune system is less efficient during space flight. This dysfunction during long-term missions could result in the appearance of opportunistic infections or a decrease in the immuno-surveillance mechanisms that eradicate cancer cells. On the other hand, monitoring of the microbial environment is essential to prevent infectious diseases in space. Therefore, both aspects will have to be monitored continuously during long-term missions in space, using miniature and semi-automated diagnostic systems. In the short term, such equipment will allow the study of the causes of space-related immunodeficiency, developing countermeasures to maintain an optimal immune function and improving our capacity to prevent infectious diseases during space missions. In order to achieve these objectives, a new diagnostic system has been designed to perform a set of biological and immunological assays on board spacecrafts. Through flow cytometric assays and molecular biology analyses, this diagnostic system will improve medical surveillance of astronauts and will be used to test countermeasures aimed at preventing immune deficiency during space missions.

Related URLs:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094576508000039

Microbial monitoring of crewed habitats in space-current status and future perspectives

by on 9 June 2015in Biology & Biotechnology No comment

Previous space research conducted during short-term flight experiments and long-term environmental monitoring on board orbiting space stations suggests that the relationship between humans and microbes is altered in the crewed habitat in space. Both human physiology and microbial communities adapt to spaceflight. Microbial monitoring is critical to crew safety in long-duration space habitation and the sustained operation of life support systems on space transit vehicles, space stations, and surface habitats. To address this critical need, space agencies including NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), ESA (European Space Agency), and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) are working together to develop and implement specific measures to monitor, control, and counteract biological contamination in closed-environment systems. In this review, the current status of microbial monitoring conducted in the International Space Station (ISS) as well as the results of recent microbial spaceflight experiments have been summarized and future perspectives are discussed.

Related URLs:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25130885

Study of initial colonization by environmental microorganisms in the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS)

by on 9 June 2015in Biology & Biotechnology No comment

In this report, we describe the initial colonization of environmental microorganisms associated with ISS on four different materials (Nomex, cable labeling material, printed circuit board and aluminum), which are commonly used at the ISS. Material substrates were placed in the Russian segment of the ISS in a ‘Target Book’ for 135 days. After the incubation, the ‘Target Book’ was analyzed on Earth by determining colony forming units and identifying the microorganisms by rRNA gene sequencing. The highest cell concentrations and widest biological diversity were on the polymer materials as Nomex and cable labeling material. Additional molecular biological identification revealed the following organisms as typical pioneer microorganisms: Staphylococcus spp., Bacillus spp., Streptococcus spp., Cladosporium spp., Sphingomonas spp., Micrococcus luteus and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia.

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Microbial contamination monitoring and control during human space missions

by on 9 June 2015in Biology & Biotechnology No comment

The ubiquity and resilience of microorganisms makes them unavoidable in most environments including space habitats. The impaired immune system of astronauts in flight raises the level of concern about disease risk during human space missions and additionally these biological contaminants may affect life support systems and hardware. In this review, the microbial contamination observed in manned space stations and in particular the International Space Station ISS will be discussed, demonstrating that it is a microbiologically safe working and living habitat. Microbial contamination levels were in general below the implemented quality standards, although, occasional contamination hazard reports indicate that the current prevention and monitoring strategies are the strict minimum.

Related URLs:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032063311002765

Microbial detection and monitoring in advanced life support systems like the International Space Station

by on 9 June 2015in Biology & Biotechnology No comment

Potentially pathogenic microbes and so-called technophiles may form a serious threat in advanced life support systems, such as the International Space Station (ISS). They not only pose a threat to the health of the crew, but also to the technical equipment and materials of the space station. The development of fast and easy to use molecular detection and quantification methods for application in manned spacecraft is therefore desirable and may also be valuable for applications on Earth. In this paper we present the preliminary results of the SAMPLE experiment in which we performed molecular microbial analysis on environmental samples of the ISS as part of an ESA-MAP project.

Related URLs:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02911866

Microbial existence in controlled habitats and their resistance to space conditions

by on 9 June 2015in Biology & Biotechnology No comment

The National Research Council (NRC) has recently recognized the International Space Station (ISS) as uniquely suitable for furthering the study of microbial species in closed habitats. Answering the NRC's call for the study, in particular, of uncommon microbial species in the ISS, and/or of those that have significantly increased or decreased in number, space microbiologists have begun capitalizing on the maturity, speed, and cost-effectiveness of molecular/genomic microbiological technologies to elucidate changes in microbial populations in the ISS and other closed habitats. Since investigators can only collect samples infrequently from the ISS itself due to logistical reasons, Earth analogs, such as spacecraft-assembly clean rooms, are used and extensively characterized for the presence of microbes. Microbiologists identify the predominant, problematic, and extremophilic microbial species in these closed habitats and use the ISS as a testbed to study their resistance to extreme extraterrestrial environmental conditions. Investigators monitor the microbes exposed to the real space conditions in order to track their genomic changes in response to the selective pressures present in outer space (external to the ISS) and the spaceflight (in the interior of the ISS). In this review, we discussed the presence of microbes in space research-related closed habitats and the resistance of some microbial species to the extreme environmental conditions of space.

Related URLs:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25130881

International Space Station environmental microbiome — microbial inventories of ISS filter debris

by on 9 June 2015in Biology & Biotechnology No comment

Despite an expanding array of molecular approaches for detecting microorganisms in a given sample, rapid and robust means of assessing the differential viability of the microbial cells, as a function of phylogenetic lineage, remain elusive. A propidium monoazide (PMA) treatment coupled with downstream quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and pyrosequencing analyses was carried out to better understand the frequency, diversity, and distribution of viable microorganisms associated with debris collected from the crew quarters of the International Space Station (ISS). The cultured bacterial counts were more in the ISS samples than cultured fungal population. The rapid molecular analyses targeted to estimate viable population exhibited 5-fold increase in bacterial (qPCR-PMA assay) and 25-fold increase in microbial (adenosine triphosphate assay) burden than the cultured bacterial population. The ribosomal nucleic acid-based identification of cultivated strains revealed the presence of only four to eight bacterial species in the ISS samples, however, the viable bacterial diversity detected by the PMA-pyrosequencing method was far more diverse (12 to 23 bacterial taxa) with the majority consisting of members of actinobacterial genera (Propionibacterium, Corynebacterium) and Staphylococcus. Sample fractions not treated with PMA (inclusive of both live and dead cells) yielded a great abundance of highly diverse bacterial (94 to 118 taxa) and fungal lineages (41 taxa). Even though deep sequencing capability of the molecular analysis widened the understanding about the microbial diversity, the cultivation assay also proved to be essential since some of the spore-forming microorganisms were detected only by the culture-based method. Presented here are the findings of the first comprehensive effort to assess the viability of microbial cells associated with ISS surfaces, and correlate differential viability with phylogenetic affiliation.

Related URLs:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-5650-6

 Root Cause Assessment of Pressure Drop Rise of a Packed Bed of Lithium Hydroxide in the International Space Station Trace Contaminant Control System

by on 9 June 2015in Biology & Biotechnology No comment

The trace contaminant control system (TCCS) located in the International Space Station's (ISS) U.S. laboratory module employs physical adsorption, thermal catalytic oxidation, and chemical adsorption to remove trace chemical contamination produced by equipment offgassing and anthropogenic sources from the cabin atmosphere. The chemical adsorption stage, consisting of a packed bed of granular lithium hydroxide (LiOH), is located after the thermal catalytic oxidation stage and is designed to remove acid gas byproducts that may be formed in the upstream oxidation stage. While in service on board the ISS, the LiOH bed exhibited a change in flow resistance that leading to flow control difficulties in the TCCS. Post flight evaluation revealed LiOH granule size attrition among other changes. An experimental program was employed to investigate mechanisms hypothesized to contribute to the change in the packed bed's flow resistance. Background on the problem is summarized, including a discussion of likely mechanisms. The experimental program is described, results are presented, and implications for the future are discussed.

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