– Growing leafy plants like lettuce and spinach in space can come with a side dish of bacteria
– Plants grown in simulated microgravity are more susceptible than normal to the Salmonella enterica pathogen
– The International Space Station is home to a lot of aggressive bacteria and fungi, which could pose a risk to astronaut
– Researchers added S. enterica bacteria to the lettuce leaves and found that the stomata pores opened up, allowing the bacteria to invade
– Previous studies have shown that space lettuce is safe and nutritious, but the new research indicates it might struggle to ward off infection
– More research is needed to understand how bacterial pathogens react to microgravity in order to develop appropriate mitigation strategies.