The University of Wisconsin–Madison conducted a study aboard the International Space Station and found that under microgravity conditions, the interaction between E. coli and the T7 bacteriophages attacking it changes dramatically.
In space, where the usual fluidity of the environment is absent, microorganisms encounter one another less often. As a result, in microgravity phages infect bacteria more slowly than on Earth, but then successfully penetrate the cells. Moreover, both the bacteria and the viruses began developing completely different mutations. The virus developed a new type of protein that allows it to attack even protected E. coli strains, while the bacteria in response created new barriers.
Especially important is the fact that the “space” viruses, after returning to Earth, turned out to be capable of attacking E. coli strains that are resistant to antibiotics and cause chronic infections in humans.
Thus, space became a kind of laboratory of evolution, where extreme conditions help find unexpected solutions to urgent medical problems. Given the growing threat of antibiotic resistance, this “space evolution” could become an inspiring direction in the development of phage therapy.
