Is this project an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty project?
Undergraduate
group
What campus are you from?
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Paulina Slick, Sophomore Brandi Small, Senior
Lead Presenter's Name
Brandi Small
Faculty Mentor Name
Hugo Castillo
Abstract
Bacteria exposed to the spaceflight environment have been proven to show profound phenotypic changes, including increase resistance to antibiotics, increased bacterial community formation and increased resistance to environmental stresses, just to mention a few. To more fully characterize the space-flight induced conditions, we have performed a long-term experiment consisting in monitoring growth of multiple bacterial species (Escherichia coli, Lactococcus lactis and Staphylococcus salivarious) using a 2D clinostat design that simulates microgravity conditions. All bacterial species were grown in microcosms under gravity and microgravity in an effort to simulate microbiome communities. Bacteria were collected and tested for competition studies and for multiple cell phenotypes, including cell morphology, susceptibility to chemical and physical stressors and virulence-related phenotypes such as biofilm formation and antibiotic susceptibility. Possible interactions between cells grown in the artificial microbiome will help us to understand alterations of human bacterial communities during space travel.
Did this research project receive funding support from the Office of Undergraduate Research.
No
Effects of Long-term Exposure to Microgravity Conditions on Bacterial Communities
Bacteria exposed to the spaceflight environment have been proven to show profound phenotypic changes, including increase resistance to antibiotics, increased bacterial community formation and increased resistance to environmental stresses, just to mention a few. To more fully characterize the space-flight induced conditions, we have performed a long-term experiment consisting in monitoring growth of multiple bacterial species (Escherichia coli, Lactococcus lactis and Staphylococcus salivarious) using a 2D clinostat design that simulates microgravity conditions. All bacterial species were grown in microcosms under gravity and microgravity in an effort to simulate microbiome communities. Bacteria were collected and tested for competition studies and for multiple cell phenotypes, including cell morphology, susceptibility to chemical and physical stressors and virulence-related phenotypes such as biofilm formation and antibiotic susceptibility. Possible interactions between cells grown in the artificial microbiome will help us to understand alterations of human bacterial communities during space travel.