Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an infamous bacterium that is a known as a
pathogen and has a characteristic smell of grape when grown in vitro. Recently, P. aeruginosa made it aboard two space shuttle missions and showed
growth! This innovative study tries to show the benefits and downsides of
microbes in space due to the concern of decreased immunity of humans and
increased virulence of microbes during space missions. The study focuses on
biofilm development and physiology of this bacterial community under
microgravity. Results show that spaceflight actually increased number of cells,
biofilm production and thickness. The microbes even exhibited a
“column-and-canopy” structure that has not been seen on Earth.
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Figure from Kim et al. (2013) shows the difference
in biofilm structure in normal gravity and under the influence of microgravity.
Original Article: Kim,
W., Tengra, F. K., Young, Z., Shong, J., Marchand, N., Chan, H., & Collins,
C. H. (2013). Spaceflight promotes biofilm formation by pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Plos One 8: 1-8.
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