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Water is a critical commodity for spacecraft crews, requiring extreme conservation and reclamation strategies. In addition to suppression of the immune system in spaceflight, enhancement of bacterial growth and antimicrobial resistance in weightlessness raise serious concerns regarding microbial contamination of water systems. Rapid methods are needed for monitoring water, both pre-flight and on orbit. We are developing techniques to enumerate specific, metabolically active bacteria that may threaten crew health or lead to water system deterioration. Our methods are directed at the detection of individual bacteria, rather than populations of bacteria, and we aim to determine the identity of the organism as well as its physiological state con-currently. Our objectives are to determine, in a single test, the total number of bacteria present in a water sample, if a specific strain of bacteria is present within the total population and if these bacteria are viable or dead.

Long-term space flight missions will require high quality water to lessen the risk of crew infections and system deterioration. In water systems on earth, biofilms contribute to loss of water quality, causing corrosion, increased flow resistance and reduced heat transfer. Some bacteria grow more rapidly and become less susceptible to antimicrobial agents under conditions of microgravity, and humans may have weakened immunity with prolonged space flight. This study aimed to determine the effects of spaceflight and microgravity on biofilm formation by Burkholderia cepacia in water and microbial control by iodine. The results showed that B. cepacia formed biofilms when incubated in microgravity and in ground controls. Compared to rich medium or water, biofilms developed at similar densities in iodinated water.