ArticleMicrobiome2020
The influence of spaceflight on the astronaut salivary microbiome and the search for a microbiome biomarker for viral reactivation.
Article in Microbiome, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers.
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Who cites it
39 citing papers in PubMed, 60 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparison ofMicrobiology (Reading, England) · 2026Article
- Human microbiome alterations in Epstein-Barr Virus infection: a systematic review.Gut pathogens · 2026Review
- Reactivation and Management of Endogenous Latent Herpesviruses in the Spaceflight Environment.Current microbiology · 2026Review
- Review
- Astroimmunology: the effects of spaceflight and its associated stressors on the immune system.Nature reviews. Immunology · 2026Review
- Modulation of gut microbiota and intestinal barrier by lotus seed, jujube, and longan aril in senna leaf-induced diarrhea in mice.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Bacterial resistance across habitats: from German schools to the International Space Station.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Navigating mental health in space: gut-brain axis and microbiome dynamics.Experimental & molecular medicine · 2025Review
- Article
- Saliva assay: a call for methodological standardization.Journal of periodontal & implant science · 2025Review
- Microbiome analysis in individuals with human papillomavirus oral infection.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Pilots, Astronauts, and the Aerospace Microbiota: A Narrative Review of Occupational Impact.Cureus · 2024Review
- Microbiology of human spaceflight: microbial responses to mechanical forces that impact health and habitat sustainability.Microbiology and molecular biology reviews : MMBR · 2024Review
- Collection of biospecimens from the inspiration4 mission establishes the standards for the space omics and medical atlas (SOMA).Nature communications · 2024Article
- APHRODITE: A Compact Lab-on-Chip Biosensor for the Real-Time Analysis of Salivary Biomarkers in Space Missions.Biosensors · 2024Article
- Effect of 15 days -6° head-down bed rest on microbial communities of supragingival plaque in young men.Frontiers in microbiology · 2024Article
- Considerations for oral and dental tissues in holistic care during long-haul space flights.Frontiers in physiology · 2024Review
- Oral Health in Zero Gravity: A Comprehensive Review of Orofacial Effects and Countermeasures in Spaceflights.Cureus · 2023Review
- Viral activation and ecological restructuring characterize a microbiome axis of spaceflight-associated immune activation.Research square · 2023Article
- Microbial applications for sustainable space exploration beyond low Earth orbit.NPJ microgravity · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSpaceflight impacts astronauts in many ways but little is known on how spaceflight affects the salivary microbiome and the consequences of these changes on astronaut health, such as viral reactivation. In order to understand this, the salivary microbiome was analyzed with 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, and saliva viral titers were analyzed with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) with primers specific for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and varicella zoster virus (VZV) from 10 astronauts pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight.
resultsStreptococcus was the most abundant organism in the saliva, making up 8% of the total organisms detected, and their diversity decreased during spaceflight. Other organisms that had statistically significant changes were Proteobacteria and Fusobacteria which increased during flight and Actinobacteria which decreased during flight. At the genus level, Catonella, Megasphera, and Actinobacillus were absent in more than half of saliva samples collected pre-flight but were then detected during flight. In those subjects that already had these genera pre-flight, their relative abundances increased during flight. Correlation analyses between the microbiome and viral titers revealed a positive correlation with Gracilibacteria, Absconditabacteria, and Abiotrophia and a negative correlation between Oribacterium, Veillonella, and Haemophilus. There was also a significant positive correlation between microbiome richness and EBV viral titers.
conclusionsThis is the first study to look at how the salivary microbiome changes as a result of spaceflight and the search for bacterial biomarkers for viral reactivation. Further studies examining the role of specific organisms that were shown to be correlative and predictive in viral reactivation, a serious problem in astronauts during spaceflight, could lead to mitigation strategies to help prevent disease during both short and long duration space missions. Video abstract.
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