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Identification of fungi isolated from astronaut nasal and pharyngeal smears and saliva
Author(s) -
Satoh Kazuo,
Yamazaki Takashi,
Furukawa Satoshi,
Mukai Chiaki,
Makimura Koichi
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
microbiology and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1348-0421
pISSN - 0385-5600
DOI - 10.1111/1348-0421.12872
Subject(s) - cladosporium , biology , aspergillus , penicillium , saliva , microbiology and biotechnology , fungus , botany , biochemistry
As part of a series of studies regarding the microbiota in manned space environments, we isolated the fungal strains from nasal and pharyngeal smears and saliva of 21 astronauts preflight, in‐flight, and postflight. On the ground, 120 strains from 43 genera of environmental fungi were isolated from the astronauts. The dominant fungal genera were Cladosporium, Penicillium , and Aspergillus . Only 18 strains from four genera were isolated from the astronauts inside the International Space Station. These fungi are currently thought to be harmless, but regular screening and cleaning are necessary to prevent fungus‐related health disorders.