Antibiotic activity in space.

Environmental factors in space exert an influence on the behaviour of bacteria, particularly on their sensitivity to antibiotics. Thus, G. Taylor and S. Zaloguev observed that bacterial samples collected on the crew during flight in the Apollo-Soyouz Test Project Mission presented higher antibiotic resistance than controls. This paper presents the results of two experiments performed in 1982 and 1985 (Cytos 2 during the French-Soviet Mission and "Antibio" in the Biorack programme of the European Space Agency). The results show an increase of antibiotic resistance in bacteria growth in flight and a modification in the structure of the cell wall. All these modifications are transitory. Two hypotheses are put forward to explain the phenomenon.