Astronauts often experience immune dysfunction, skin rashes and other inflammatory issues during space travel. A new study recently published in the journal Cell suggests that these problems may be related to the overly sterile environment of the International Space Station (ISS).
Researchers worked with astronauts to sample 803 different surfaces on the ISS. The analysis found that human skin is the main source of microorganisms on the ISS, while chemicals from cleaning products and disinfectants are spread throughout the space station. Compared to built environments on Earth, the ISS' microbial communities are less diverse and more similar to industrialized, isolated environments such as hospitals, enclosed habitats, and homes in urbanized areas. The ISS surface lacks free-living environmental microorganisms normally found in soil and water.
The researchers believe that the intentional introduction of these microorganisms and the substrate in which they live could improve astronaut health without sacrificing hygiene, similar to the beneficial effects of gardening on the immune system. In the future, the research team hopes to improve analytical methods to detect human health signals in potentially pathogenic microorganisms and environmental metabolites. The researchers emphasize that to support long-term human survival off Earth, sustainable and beneficial ecosystems need to be established, rather than relying solely on highly sterilized environments.