Research conducted in part on the International Space Station (ISS) suggests that “microgravity” could help scientists fight drug-resistant superbugs, the SWNS report said.
According to NASA, microgravity is a condition in which a person or object appears to be weightless.
In an experiment conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, viruses and bacteria It behaves differently in near zero gravity. Genetic changes occur in space that are not normally seen on Earth.
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The study’s lead author, Dr. Phil Hass, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, noted that interactions between viruses that infect bacteria (known as phages) and their hosts play an “essential” role in the functioning of microbial ecosystems, according to the SWSN report.
Viruses that infect bacteria could also infect E. coli in space. However, the way those infections unfolded was different from what is normally observed on Earth.
Bacteria and phages are often described as engaged in an evolutionary arms race, with each constantly adapting to outdo the other, Hass said.
“Microgravity is not just a slower or noisier Earth, it’s a distinct physical and evolutionary environment,” researcher and researcher Srivathan Raman, Ph.D., a professor of biochemistry at the university, told Fox News Digital.
“Even in a very simple phage-bacteria system, microgravity changed the infection dynamics and depressed both microorganisms. Various evolutionary paths” he added.
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Although these interactions between bacteria and phages are well studied on Earth, few studies have examined them in space, where they can yield different results.
For the study, Hass and colleagues compared two sets of E. coli samples infected with a phage known as T7. One set was grown on Earth and the other on the ISS.
The research team found that after an initial slowdown, the T7 phage successfully infected E. coli in space. genetic analysis The report says it has since become clear that there are clear differences in how both bacteria and viruses mutate in space compared to how they behave on Earth.
Hass said the phages grown on the space station developed mutations that may improve their ability to infect bacteria and attach to bacterial cells. At the same time, E. coli grown in space has developed mutations that may make it more resistant to infection and better able to survive in near-weightless conditions.
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Raman said some of the findings were unexpected. In particular, he pointed out that microgravity causes mutations in parts of phage genomes that are poorly understood and rarely seen in experiments on Earth.
The researchers then used a technique called deep mutation scanning, a method that tracks how genetic changes affect function, to examine changes in the T7 receptor-binding protein, which plays a key role in infection.
Additional experiments On Earth, these changes were associated with increased efficacy against E. coli strains that are normally resistant to T7.
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“What’s equally surprising is that if microgravity-shaped phages are brought back to Earth, they could be more effective against terrestrial bacterial pathogens,” Raman told Fox News Digital.
“This result suggests that microgravity can reveal combinations of mutations that are difficult to access through standard laboratory evolution, but [are] It remains highly relevant for real-world applications. ”
Hass said the findings could help solve the problem. antibiotic resistant Infectious diseases such as urinary tract infections have been increasing in recent years.
“By studying these space-driven adaptations, we have identified new biological insights that allow us to engineer phages with greater activity. drug-resistant pathogens I’m back on Earth,” Hass told SWNS.
“Experiments on the ISS have small sample sizes, fixed hardware, and scheduling constraints,” Raman said. “Samples also undergo freezing and long-term storage, which can complicate interpretation.”
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He added that the study has broader implications.
”Studying microorganisms in space “This is not just about astrobiology; these experiments can reveal new aspects of viral infection and microbial evolution that have direct implications for problems on Earth, such as antimicrobial resistance and phage therapy,” Raman said.
He added that space should be treated as a discovery environment rather than a routine testing platform. The most effective approach, Raman said, is to identify useful patterns and mutations in space and carefully study them in Earth-based systems.
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The scientists also noted that the findings highlight how microbial ecosystems, similar to those associated with humans, can change during long-duration space missions.
“As space travel becomes longer, more routine, and more biologically complex, understanding and anticipating these changes will be essential,” Raman said.
The results of this study were published in the journal PLOS Biology.
