International Space Station: germs could be dangerous to all-tourists

2019-10-14T13:05:23.521Z

In the coming years, space tourists should fly into space. But the journey could bring so far underestimated dangers for the hobby astronauts. Researchers warn against nasty bacilli.

The US space agency Nasa wants to accommodate tourists on the International Space Station (ISS) as soon as possible, Russia also has similar plans. But that could cause problems, as researchers warn now:

For example, the station's drinking water system appears to contain bacteria that would not harm healthy astronauts, but could be dangerous for people with weaker immune systems, scientists at Matthew Wargo, University of Vermont, Burlington, report in the journal Microbiology.

Since 2000, the ISS has been orbiting the earth at an altitude of about 400 kilometers. More than 200 people were already there. For the current analysis, scientists from Nasa examined samples provided by the station.

Micro mucus layer

In the so-called biofilm of water pipes and tanks, there is therefore a mixture of bacterial species, as it is also found in terrestrial plants. Biofilm is called the microorganism mucus layer, which is typically found on the inner wall of sewage pipes or flower vases. Also plaque is an example.

Some of the bacteria found in the ISS drinking water system are known to cause disease for people with weakened immune systems, the researchers said. For commercial space travel, they meant a very small, but nevertheless existing risk.

"The spacecraft's immune system weakens over time, and as more people go there, the more likely they are to get infections," said Wargo. "Currently we are sending incredibly healthy, extremely well-trained astronauts." In space travel, it can be assumed that even less healthy people will go into space.

No luxury for travelers

Previous studies have shown that the ISS may be far from Earth - it is far from microbial. Staphylococci (26 percent) and certain enterobacteria (23 percent) were the most common microbes in samples from places such as the dining table, sleeping quarters, toilet, walls and windows. Another eleven percent belonged to the group Bacillus.

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To what extent these types of humans on the space station could become dangerous, would still be examined, it was said. Among other things, the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus has been detected, which can cause dangerous infections. In addition, bacteria of the group Enterobacter were found that occur in the human intestine and can lead to disease.

In a previous study, a number of bacterial strains resistant to antibiotics had been detected on the ISS. Some conditions in space such as weightlessness could contribute to the emergence of resistance, researchers suggest.