LWL | How Does Biofilm Affect Space Travel?

ABSTRACT 

Biofilm formation is a widely known process taking place on Earth allowing scientists to get a deeper understanding of bacterial adaptation. Biofilms are microbial communities that are engulfed in an extracellular polymeric matrix and usually attached to a surface [1]. Bacteria have developed survival methods that went below Earth’s atmosphere, growing on space stations (International Space Station) and satellites. This microorganism managed to undergo phenotypic and genetic changes to survive in microgravity conditions, allowing them to grow in special conditions, spreading over specific areas of the stations causing biocorrosion [1]. The spread of biofilm in space can lead to various problems such as failure of engineered systems or health hazards towards the crew of the spaceship. At the same time, biofilm can be an advantage to plant systems for food growth, nutrient development and may be utilised to provide metabolic pathways [1]. Although biofilm has its challenges while working with it, it can come as a huge advantage to space exploration if constantly explored and investigated to find as many applications as possible for it. 

INTRODUCTION 

Biofilm represents how bacteria adapted and developed survival strategies to form microbial communities. Microorganisms managed to attach to the surfaces and produce extracellular polysaccharides, which resulted in the formation of biofilm [2]. The process of biofilm creation consists of bacteria growing and bonding irreversibly to a surface, producing extracellular polymers that aid in matrix production and attachment. This leads to the organisms’ phenotype to change and affects growth rate gene transcription [2]. There are 3 elements that typically make up bacterial biofilm and they are vegetative cells, extracellular polymeric substances and bacterial leftovers. The EPS (Extracellular polymeric substance) is made up from carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, eDNA (extracellular DNA) and it behaves as a type of glue and a barrier to antibiotics and disinfectants. With the distribution between cells in a non-homogenous pattern EPS manages to form matrices that surround microbial cells [5,6]. They are present on Earth in many industries such as power plants,

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chemical and food processing and they’ve been further researched as their presence in space was noticed [3,4]. 

EVIDENCE OF BIOFILM IN SPACE 

The presence of biofilm in space has been proven by many experiments conducted throughout the years [8]. The International Space Station (ISS) has shown that microorganisms have undergone phenotypic and genetic changes due to microgravity conditions. The Micro-2 experiment conducted in 2010 and 2011 studied the characterization of biofilm and the phenotypic micro gravitational effects and the outcome of the investigation was the description of column-and-canopy microgravity biofilms [9,10]. The settlements’ surfaces that are covered in biofilm have the potential to damage materials such as hardware and cause malfunctions in clinical and industrial systems and biofilm leads to biocorrosion. The essential systems such as air and water can be affected by biofilm putting at risk the life of the astronauts in space. Due to their extraordinary resistance levels to a harsh environment (UV radiation, pH levels, temperature) this makes it a lot harder to build habitats that are less apt for biocontamination [7]. 

ADVANTAGES OF BIOFILM 

As biofilm has shown such a strong resistance to all types of environments they were researched, and it was found that they have many advantages on Earth [13]. Their extracellular matrix has a protective role which increases its resistance to mechanical and chemical attacks (better than planktonic bacteria) [11]. This protects bacteria from antibiotics and antibodies. The matrix of the biofilm is an advantage when it comes to capturing nutrients which are present in the biofilm’s water phase or in the substratum in which the biofilm grows [11,12]. Biofilm plays a vital role in the sewage systems on Earth because they take part in the biodegradation of organic matter so some biofilms might be good for processing and engineering. Additionally, beneficial biofilm can be created and used in bioremediation, microbial fuel cells, and specific food products bioprocesses [13].

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When it comes to space, biofilm can be utilised in many domains that will help astronauts and researchers with space exploration. Some bacteria have the ability to produce methane, and this can be useful when it comes to the propulsion systems because they can use the methane produced by that specific biofilm as fuel. There are many risk factors when travelling on a different planet. Crewed Mars missions have been put at risk from the Mars dust so for research purposes, cyanobacteria were introduced into an area of sand in the Mongolian desert that resembles the closest to the Mars dust to see if there is any solution to this. It has been found that in 15 days a crust has been found that a wind-resistant crust that stopped dust particles from escaping was created. Besides mars dust there will be required medication to keep astronauts healthy and safe. A way that prevents deterioration from radiation and temperature changes includes the use of compact microbial bioreactors. Astronauts’ survival may be improved by microbial crust and biofilm because they may help with extraterrestrial plant development and regolith-to-soil processes. For the recovery of resources such as water, oxygen and food, biofilm has been considered to produce these recovery sources [14]. 

DISADVANTAGES OF BIOFILM 

Biofilm is known to cause problems in various industries on Earth such as medicine, food, water, power plants and many more. It can harm products and spoil equipment which leads to harm of the water distribution system and due to the H2S the bacteria excrete this can lead to fuel pollution and chemical souring [15,16]. One of the fields in which biofilm has the biggest impact is the medical field. Bacterial biofilm has a huge impact on antimicrobial resistance, infection and related mortality. According to statistics bacteria that form biofilm are linked to almost 80% of chronic illnesses [17]. The most common infections that are associated with bacteria and biofilm are urinary infections, wound infections and native valve endocarditis [18,19]. Another issue is how biofilm can turn into biocorrosion which impacts many industries including the chemical processing, water treatment and sea transportation sectors. They can damage the ship, water pipes and systems, thermal systems and stainless-steel tanks due to their broad resistance to a pH range of 4-9 and temperature ranging from 10-50 °C [18]. 

In space biofilm astronauts’ health is put the most at risk due to pathogenesis of biofilm in space. This field has some limitations when it comes to the impacts of biofilm on health in different gravities due to micro gravitational investigations and characterising their similarities under varied conditions. In

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the spacecraft or settlement, spaceflight hardware and surfaces that encounter liquid run the danger of becoming contaminated by microorganism spreading and forming biofilm [20,21]. 

IMPACT ON SPACE LITERATURE REVIEW 

The impact of biofilm in space has been researched in the last years to come up with solutions to prevent it or find its advantages. In an experiment conducted by MIT in collaboration with the University of Colorado, they studied how biofilm affected astronauts and the spacecraft. “But it’s an issue that can jeopardise the key equipment — space suits, water recycling units, radiators, navigation windows, and so on — and can also lead to human illness.” Varanasi (November 1st, 2019). Their experiment consisted in two parts one for bacterial biofilm and one for fungal biofilm because they said that “instead of just looking at how bacteria respond to microgravity versus gravity on Earth, we’re also looking at how they grow on different engineered substrates” McBride (November 1st, 2019). Their experiment's results were that the “surfaces incubated with a lubricant were highly successful at preventing biofilm growth during their long exposure in space” David L Chandler (September 6th, 2023). [22,23] 

CONCLUSION 

Overall if biofilm is further researched, it could come with many advantages for many industries on both Earth and space. In space it could play a vital role in the agricultural zone and could improve the astronauts’ lives. The prevention of biofilm in space is being researched for biocorrosion to not take place which can be vital for both the settlements and the astronauts. Research is vital for this domaain and if it is conducted more in the future than great advantages could be discovered. 

WORK CITATED

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1. Justiniano, Y. A. V., Goeres, D. M., Sandvik, E. L., Kjellerup, B. V., Sysoeva, T. A., Harris, J. S., Warnat, S., McGlennen, M., Foreman, C. M., Yang, J., Li, W., Cassilly, C. D., Lott, K., & HerrNeckar, L. E. (2023, December 1). Mitigation and use of biofilms in space for the benefit of human space exploration. Biofilm; Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioflm.2022.100102 
2. Donlan, R. M. (n.d.). Biofilm Formation: A Clinically Relevant Microbiological Process. Academic.oup.com. 

https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/33/8/1387/347551 

3. Carrascosa, C., Raheem, D., Ramos, F., Saraiva, A., & Raposo, A. (2021, February 19). Microbial Biofilms in the Food Industry—A Comprehensive Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health; Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18042014 
4. Shineh, G., Mobaraki, M., Bappy, M. J. P., & Mills, D. K. (2023, June 26). Biofilm Formation, and Related Impacts on Healthcare, Food Processing and Packaging, Industrial Manufacturing, Marine Industries, and Sanitation–A Review. Applied Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.3390/applmicrobiol3030044 
5. Landry, K. S., Morey, J. M., Bharat, B., Haney, N. M., & Panesar, S. S. (2020, July 3). Biofilms—Impacts on Human Health and Its Relevance to Space Travel. Microorganisms; Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8070998 
6. Di Martino, P. (2018, January 1). Extracellular polymeric substances, a key element in understanding biofilm phenotype. AIMS Microbiology; AIMS Press. https://doi.org/10.3934/microbiol.2018.2.274 
7. Justiniano, Y. A. V., Goeres, D. M., Sandvik, E. L., Kjellerup, B. V., Sysoeva, T. A., Harris, J. S., Warnat, S., McGlennen, M., Foreman, C. M., Yang, J., Li, W., Cassilly, C. D., Lott, K., & HerrNeckar, L. E. (2023, December 1). Mitigation and use of biofilms in space for the benefit of human space exploration. Biofilm; Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioflm.2022.100102 
8. Ott, C., Oubre, Wallace, Mehta, & Pierson. (2016, December 2). Risk of Adverse Health Effects Due to Host-Microorganism Interactions. https://humanresearchroadmap.nasa.gov/Evidence/reports/Host_Micro.pdf 
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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100510114349.htm 

11. O. (2018, January 17). Biofilms: advantage for bacteria, threat for medical devices. OUPblog.

https://blog.oup.com/2018/01/biofilms-bacteria-threat-for-medical-devices/ 

12. Baniya, S., & Baniya, S. (2022, October 30). Biofilm: Formation, Advantages, and Disadvantages. Microbe Online. https://microbeonline.com/biofilm/?utm_content=cmp-true
13. Justiniano, Y. A. V., Goeres, D. M., Sandvik, E. L., Kjellerup, B. V., Sysoeva, T. A., Harris, J. S., Warnat, S., McGlennen, M., Foreman, C. M., Yang, J., Li, W., Cassilly, C. D., Lott, K., & HerrNeckar, L. E. (2023, December 1). Mitigation and use of biofilms in space for the benefit of human space exploration. Biofilm; Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioflm.2022.100102
14. 14. Justiniano, Y. A. V., Goeres, D. M., Sandvik, E. L., Kjellerup, B. V., Sysoeva, T. A., Harris, J. S., Warnat, S., McGlennen, M., Foreman, C. M., Yang, J., Li, W., Cassilly, C. D., Lott, K., & HerrNeckar, L. E. (2023, December 1). Mitigation and use of biofilms in space for the benefit of human space exploration. Biofilm; Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioflm.2022.100102
15. Baniya, S., & Baniya, S. (2022, October 30). Biofilm: Formation, Advantages, and Disadvantages. Microbe Online. https://microbeonline.com/biofilm/#:~:text=Disadvantages%20of%20Biofilm,-Biofilm%20formation%20has&text=Biofilms%20have%20also %20caused%20several,S%20by%20the%20biofilm%20bacteria.16.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jobm.201900569#:~:text =Industries%2C%20such%20as%20medical%2C%20food,the%20operating%20system%20of%20plants. 
16. Jamal, M., Ahmad, W., Andleeb, S., Jalil, F., Imran, M., Nawaz, M. A., Hussain, T., Ali, M. A., Rafiq, M. A., & Kamil, M. A. (2018, January 1). Bacterial biofilm and associated infections. Journal of the Chinese Medical Association; Elsevier BV. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcma.2017.07.012 

18. Das, T., & Young, B. C. (2022, November 2). Introductory Chapter: Highlighting Pros and Cons of Bacterial Biofilms. IntechOpen eBooks. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.106775 
19. 19. Biofilms Role in Chronic Infections. (n.d.). Physiopedia. https://www.physio-pedia.com/Biofilms_Role_in_Chronic_Infections 
20. Justiniano, Y. A. V., Goeres, D. M., Sandvik, E. L., Kjellerup, B. V., Sysoeva, T. A., Harris, J. S., Warnat, S., McGlennen, M., Foreman, C. M., Yang, J., Li, W., Cassilly, C. D., Lott, K., & HerrNeckar, L. E. (2023, December 1). Mitigation and use of biofilms in space for the benefit of human space exploration. Biofilm; Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioflm.2022.100102

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21. Goeres, Sandvik, Kjellerup, Sysoeva, Lott, Harris, Foreman, McLean, Yang, Li, O’Rourke, & Cassilly. (2021, October). Mitigation and Use of Biofilms in Space for the Benefit of Human Space Exploration. ntrs.nasa.gov. Retrieved October 15, 2023, from https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20210022442/downloads/BiofilmWhitePaper.pdf 
22. How to prevent biofilms in space | MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering. (n.d.). 

https://meche.mit.edu/news-media/how-prevent-biofilms-space#:~:text=The%20surfaces%20were%20incubated%20for,their%20long%20e xposure%20in%20space. 

23. 3 Questions: How to control biofilms in space. (2019, November 1). MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. https://news.mit.edu/2019/3-questions-how-to-control-biofilms-in-space-mit-iss-research-1101