Microbial isolation and characterization from two flex lines from the urine processor assembly onboard the international space station

Hang Ngoc Nguyen; G Marie Sharp; Sarah Stahl-Rommel; Yo-Ann Velez Justiniano; Christian L Castro; Mayra Nelman-Gonzalez; Aubrie O'Rourke; Michael D Lee; Jill Williamson; Chelsea McCool; Brian Crucian; Kenneth W Clark; Miten Jain; Sarah L Castro-Wallace

doi:10.1016/j.bioflm.2023.100108

Microbial isolation and characterization from two flex lines from the urine processor assembly onboard the international space station

Biofilm. 2023 Mar 2:5:100108. doi: 10.1016/j.bioflm.2023.100108. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Affiliations

¹ JES Tech, Houston, TX, USA.
² KBR, Houston, TX, USA.
³ Space Systems Department, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL, USA.
⁴ Exploration Research and Technology, NASA Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, FL, USA.
⁵ KBR, Moffett Field, CA, USA.
⁶ Jacobs, Huntsville, AL, USA.
⁷ Biomedical Research and Environmental Sciences Division, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA.
⁸ Department of Bioengineering, Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.

Abstract

Urine, humidity condensate, and other sources of non-potable water are processed onboard the International Space Station (ISS) by the Water Recovery System (WRS) yielding potable water. While some means of microbial control are in place, including a phosphoric acid/hexavalent chromium urine pretreatment solution, many areas within the WRS are not available for routine microbial monitoring. Due to refurbishment needs, two flex lines from the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) within the WRS were removed and returned to Earth. The water from within these lines, as well as flush water, was microbially evaluated. Culture and culture-independent analysis revealed the presence of Burkholderia, Paraburkholderia, and Leifsonia. Fungal culture also identified Fusarium and Lecythophora. Hybrid de novo genome analysis of the five distinct Burkholderia isolates identified them as B. contaminans, while the two Paraburkholderia isolates were identified as P. fungorum. Chromate-resistance gene clusters were identified through pangenomic analysis that differentiated these genomes from previously studied isolates recovered from the point-of-use potable water dispenser and/or current NCBI references, indicating that unique populations exist within distinct niches in the WRS. Beyond genomic analysis, fixed samples directly from the lines were imaged by environmental scanning electron microscopy, which detailed networks of fungal-bacterial biofilms. This is the first evidence of biofilm formation within flex lines from the UPA onboard the ISS. For all bacteria isolated, biofilm potential was further characterized, with the B. contaminans isolates demonstrating the most considerable biofilm formation. Moreover, the genomes of the B. contaminans revealed secondary metabolite gene clusters associated with quorum sensing, biofilm formation, antifungal compounds, and hemolysins. The potential production of these gene cluster metabolites was phenotypically evaluated through biofilm, bacterial-fungal interaction, and hemolytic assays. Collectively, these data identify the UPA flex lines as a unique ecological niche and novel area of biofilm growth within the WRS. Further investigation of these organisms and their resistance profiles will enable engineering controls directed toward biofilm prevention in future space station water systems.

Keywords: Biofilms; Environmental microbiology; International space station; Pangenome; Spaceflight.