Genetic and Immunological Evidence for Microbial Transfer Between the International Space Station and an Astronaut

Microbial transfer from the environment can influence a person’s health, but relevant studies often have confounding variables and short durations. Here, we used the unique environment of the International Space Station (ISS) to track movement of microbes between an astronaut’s commensal microbiomes and their environment. We identified several microbial taxa, including Serratia proteamaculans and Rickettsia australis which appear to have been transferred from the ISS to the commensal microbiomes of the astronaut. Strains were matched at the SNP and haplotype-level, and notably some strains persisted even after the astronaut’s return to Earth. Some transferred taxa correspond to secondary strains in the ISS environment, suggesting that transfer may be mediated by evolutionary selection. Finally, we show evidence that the T-Cell repertoire of the astronaut changes to become more specific to environmental taxa, suggesting that continual microbial and immune monitoring can help guide spaceflight mission planning, health monitoring, and habitat design.