Space flight makes bacteria more virulent

PHOENIX, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have determined space flight's zero gravity environment affects pathogens, making bacteria more infectious.

Arizona State University Professors Cheryl Nickerson and James Wilson have led the first study of its kind to investigate the effect of space flight on the genetic responses and disease-causing potential of Salmonella typhimurium, the main bacterial culprit of food poisoning.

The study revealed a key role for a master genetic regulator, called Hfq, in triggering changes that increase the virulence of Salmonella as a result of spaceflight. The researchers said the findings might advance infectious disease research, possibly leading to new therapies.

The study included scientists from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ames Research Center, Johnson Space Center and Kennedy Space Center; as well as researchers from the University of Arizona, Tulane University, the Kimmel Cancer Center, the University of Colorado-Boulder, the University of Colorado-Denver, Oklahoma City University, the University of Chicago, Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, and the Berlin-based Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology.

The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International

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