Antibiotic-resistant infections pose a major global health challenge, leading to increased mortality rates and treatment difficulties. Future space missions to the Moon and Mars will require astronauts to rely on a finite supply of antibiotics, making it crucial to ensure these treatments remain effective.
The Genomic Enumeration of Antibiotic Resistance in Space (GEARS) experiment, managed by NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, is designed to analyze microbial resistance in space. As part of the study, astronauts collect samples from interior surfaces aboard the ISS to detect antibiotic-resistant bacteria, particularly Enterococcus faecalis, a microorganism naturally found in the human body. This initiative marks the initial phase of broader research on microbial behavior in space and its implications for medicine on Earth.
"Enterococcus is an ancient organism that has coexisted with humans since our evolutionary origins," explained Christopher Carr, assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and co-principal investigator of GEARS. "It thrives inside and outside its host, contributing to its status as the second leading cause of hospital-acquired infections. Our goal is to understand how this microbe adapts to space conditions."
GEARS aims to refine methods for detecting and identifying resistant bacteria, expanding upon ongoing microbial monitoring efforts aboard the ISS.
"We've tracked microbial presence on the station since 2000, but this experiment will provide deeper insights beyond merely identifying present organisms," noted Sarah Wallace, microbiologist at NASA's Johnson Space Center and co-principal investigator of GEARS. "The ISS serves as a low-risk environment to study bacterial adaptation, allowing us to apply these findings to deep-space missions where resupply missions are limited."
Over the next year, astronauts will systematically swab station surfaces and expose collected samples to antibiotics to observe microbial resistance patterns. The results will help determine the prevalence and persistence of resistant bacteria aboard the ISS.
The experiment was launched to the ISS in March 2024 as part of SpaceX's 30th commercial resupply services (CRS) mission. The first phase of testing yielded an unexpected outcome: very few resistant bacterial colonies were detected, and none were identified as E. faecalis. This finding suggests a relatively low risk of antibiotic resistance aboard the ISS.
"Preliminary cleaning prior to swabbing may have removed some bacteria," Carr noted. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of bacterial survival, astronauts temporarily suspended cleaning in certain high-contact areas before the second round of sample collection.
"While maintaining a clean environment is essential for crew health, targeted studies of microbial growth on high-touch surfaces help us better understand bacterial behavior and potential risks," Carr added.
This experiment is the first to conduct metagenomic sequencing in space, a technique that examines the complete genetic composition of a sample to identify all microbial inhabitants. Such capabilities will be crucial for future deep-space exploration and medical diagnostics.
The GEARS team aims to develop a rapid analysis system that shortens the time from sample collection to results from several days to mere hours. If successful, this workflow could have significant implications for hospital infection control, potentially reducing fatalities associated with antibiotic-resistant infections.
More than 35,000 people die annually from antibiotic-resistant infections. Wallace, who lost a family member to a hospital-acquired infection, emphasized the urgency of advancing diagnostic capabilities.
"This issue is deeply personal for me," Wallace said. "Many people have experienced similar losses. The ability to identify dangerous bacteria in hours rather than days is a game-changer. While our priority is astronaut health, we are equally committed to translating this research into medical advancements on Earth. If we can achieve this in space, we can certainly do it here on Earth."
Genomic Enumeration of Antibiotic Resistance in Space (GEARS) was funded by the Biological and Physical Sciences Space Biology Program, with additional support from the Mars Campaign office.
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