MbShea@PWP@English@UMCP

Abstract: Fungal contamination represents a huge problem for stored food supplies and renewable food in bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS). There is also concern, in the case of some fungal species, for opportunistic infection in immunocompromised human hosts. All of these issues must be addressed for future long-term spaceflights in order to ensure successful missions and astronaut health and safety. Here, we propose an experiment designed to test the effects of spaceflight conditions on the growth, development, and pathogenicity of the fungal plant pathogen Alternaria radicina. A. radicina is known to be the causal agent of carrot black rot, but the Alternaria genus also includes a broad range of plant pathogens and opportunistic human pathogens. By using a simple bait test, we will be able to observe and quantify how low-earth orbit environments effects phenotypic characteristics, infection rate, and mycotoxin production. Information gained from this experiment will be valuable for future space missions in regards to understanding how common air-borne plant pathogens react to the stress of spaceflight conditions.

WC=168
Reader Profile: The reader would probably be skeptical as to why pathogens are stronger in space and why that matters.
Reader's Response: I see why this might be a problem and why the work must be done, but it seems so expensive and dangerous to send that stuff into space to test it. Maybe there is a way to fake no gravity so that you can do it on earth.

Z, early on make sure that you wish to examine two classes of pathogen risks: 1) to plants, namely the organisms used for food or for air quality in the bio-space living quarters and 2) pathogens, plant and fungal, that pose risks for human disease.

Am I capturing this right? One plant pathogen to model both risks.

Also, what is the state of this line of inquiry more generally? I just pulled this up with Mars "mania" another reason to think about this work.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28974259