Biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in spaceflight is minimized on lubricant impregnated surfaces
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s41526-023-00316-w.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
2.63 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
2da556b17dcd0b986e85fe9e9736e86e
Author(s)
Flores, Pamela
McBride, Samantha A.
Galazka, Jonathan M.
Varanasi, Kripa K.
Zea, Luis
Date Issued
August 16, 2023
Journal
npj Microgravity
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Citation
Flores, P., McBride, S.A., Galazka, J.M. et al. Biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in spaceflight is minimized on lubricant impregnated surfaces. npj Microgravity 9, 66 (2023).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
The undesirable, yet inevitable, presence of bacterial biofilms in spacecraft poses a risk to the proper functioning of systems and to astronauts’ health. To mitigate the risks that arise from them, it is important to understand biofilms’ behavior in microgravity. As part of the Space Biofilms project, biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were grown in spaceflight over material surfaces. Stainless Steel 316 (SS316) and passivated SS316 were tested for their relevance as spaceflight hardware components, while a lubricant impregnated surface (LIS) was tested as potential biofilm control strategy. The morphology and gene expression of biofilms were characterized. Biofilms in microgravity are less robust than on Earth. LIS strongly inhibits biofilm formation compared to SS. Furthermore, this effect is even greater in spaceflight than on Earth, making LIS a promising option for spacecraft use. Transcriptomic profiles for the different conditions are presented, and potential mechanisms of biofilm reduction on LIS are discussed.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-023-00316-w
