Is this project an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty project?
Undergraduate
Project Type
group
Campus
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Takara O'Brien, Sophomore; Kaitlyn Nielsen, Sophomore
Lead Presenter's Name
Takara O'Brien
Lead Presenter's College
DB College of Arts and Sciences
Faculty Mentor Name
Alba Chavez
Abstract
Following the trend of continued interest for manned-space missions over the past half-century, the importance of developing an understanding of microbial virulence in extreme environments has become increasingly more fundamental, in terms of efforts to sustain life in outer space. An overview of microorganismal adaptation in space is imperative to understanding the potential impact that invasive microbes will likely have on the human immune system during long-duration space travel and future planetary colonization. In this investigation, two fungal microbes, isolated from the International Space Station (ISS), – Candida parapsilosis and Rhodotorula sp. (Rhodotorula mucilaginosa) – were compared to their terrestrial controls to analyze differences in their respective biofilm formation, virulence, and filamentation when exposed to nitrogen and carbon-dioxide environments. These yeast strains are typical commensals of the human skin microflora with the potential to be opportunistic pathogens that cause both superficial and systemic illnesses in humans. The data was collected as such: strain growth in SDA media; selective growth in simulated atmospheric conditions; optical density for growth curve; biofilm formation with crystal violet assay; and, filamentation patterns in RPMI. Thus, the objective of the study was to compare the phenotypes of two fungal strains exposed to simulated lunar and martian space environments in ISS and earth conditioned samples, in an effort to determine overall pathogenic affinity.
Did this research project receive funding support (Spark, SURF, Research Abroad, Student Internal Grants, Collaborative, Climbing, or Ignite Grants) from the Office of Undergraduate Research?
No
Observing Pathogenic Affinity of Candida and Rhodotorula under Simulated Moon and Martian Atmospheres
Following the trend of continued interest for manned-space missions over the past half-century, the importance of developing an understanding of microbial virulence in extreme environments has become increasingly more fundamental, in terms of efforts to sustain life in outer space. An overview of microorganismal adaptation in space is imperative to understanding the potential impact that invasive microbes will likely have on the human immune system during long-duration space travel and future planetary colonization. In this investigation, two fungal microbes, isolated from the International Space Station (ISS), – Candida parapsilosis and Rhodotorula sp. (Rhodotorula mucilaginosa) – were compared to their terrestrial controls to analyze differences in their respective biofilm formation, virulence, and filamentation when exposed to nitrogen and carbon-dioxide environments. These yeast strains are typical commensals of the human skin microflora with the potential to be opportunistic pathogens that cause both superficial and systemic illnesses in humans. The data was collected as such: strain growth in SDA media; selective growth in simulated atmospheric conditions; optical density for growth curve; biofilm formation with crystal violet assay; and, filamentation patterns in RPMI. Thus, the objective of the study was to compare the phenotypes of two fungal strains exposed to simulated lunar and martian space environments in ISS and earth conditioned samples, in an effort to determine overall pathogenic affinity.