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Evidence of pathogenic microbes in the International Space Station drinking water: reason for concern?Molecular analyses were carried out on four preflight and six postflight International Space Station (ISS)-associated potable water samples at various stages of purification, storage, and transport, to ascertain their associated microbial diversities and overall microbial burdens. Following DNA extraction, PCR amplification, and molecular cloning procedures, rDNA sequences closely related to pathogenic species of Acidovorax, Afipia, Brevundimonas, Propionibacterium, Serratia, and others were recovered in varying abundance. Retrieval of sequences arising from the iodine (biocide)-reducing Delftia acidovorans in postflight waters is also of concern. Total microbial burdens of ISS potable waters were derived from data generated by an ATP-based enumeration procedure, with results ranging from 0 to 4.9 x 10(4) cells/ml. Regardless of innate biases in sample collection and analysis, such circumstantial evidence for the presence of viable, intact pathogenic cells should not be taken lightly. Implementation of new cultivation approaches and/or viability-based assays are requisite to confirm such an occurrence.
Document ID
20050184247
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
La Duc, Myron T.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA United States)
Sumner, Randall
Pierson, Duane
Venkat, Parth
Venkateswaran, Kasthuri
Date Acquired
August 23, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2004
Publication Information
Publication: Habitation (Elmsford, N.Y.)
Volume: 10
Issue: 1
ISSN: 1542-9660
Subject Category
Life Sciences (General)
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
STS-113 Shuttle Project
long duration
NASA Center JPL
STS-112 Shuttle Project
Flight Experiment
NASA Discipline Environmental Health
short duration
manned
NASA Program Biomedical Research and Countermeasures
ISS Project

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