Mutant bacteria from space. It is resistant to treatment

13 strains of bacteria were discovered based on extensive research on fungi and bacteria living on the International Space Station (ISS). These are varieties of Enterobacter bugandensis, also known on Earth. Scientists warn that due to mutation, bacteria have been included in the ESKAPE group of pathogens – bacteria that are resistant to treatment.

Why bacteria mutated

This bacterium is associated with serious infections, such as a blood infection in infants called neonatal sepsis. E. bugandensis infections can also cause sepsis, urinary tract infections, skin and soft tissue infections, and endocarditis – reports DailyMail.

Researchers looked at the changes that bacteria underwent in space. The conclusions are disturbing. First, the team analyzed how bacterial genomes and their functionality changed during adaptation to the extreme space environmento. In the second step, the population size of E. bugandensis on the ISS was checked. Finally, the researchers looked at the metabolic interactions of bacteria that benefit other microorganisms by helping them survive and grow.

Research results indicate that under stress, strains isolated from the ISS mutated and became genetically and functionally different compared to their terrestrial counterparts.

– NASA informed.

Scientists have determined that the mutant ratseps also had completely different genes that could make them multidrug resistant. How did this change come about? Although a variety of E. bugandensis exists on Earth, the environment aboard the space station offered extreme conditions, such as microgravity, solar radiation and increased carbon dioxide levels, which forced the bacteria to mutate in order to survive. Other factors were important, such as ventilation, humidity and air pressure, which could have helped E. bugandensis grow.