Longitudinal microbial source tracking on China Space Station identifies cargo and cabin contributions (microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com)

• First quantitative source tracking of cabin vs. cargo microbes on China Space Station.
• Cargo-derived microorganisms accounted for up to 36.89% of onboard microbial community.
• Staphylococcus, Acinetobacter, and Corynebacterium were dominant persistent genera.
• Cargo storage areas and cleanrooms pose high risk for microbial transfer into orbit.

"A study analyzing 165 microbial samples from China Space Station missions (2016-2024) used 16S rRNA sequencing and source tracking to quantify that cargo-derived microorganisms contributed up to 36.89% of onboard microbes, while cabin-source peaked at 14.02%. Dominant persistent genera were Staphylococcus, Acinetobacter, and Corynebacterium. The findings highlight cargo storage areas as high-risk for microbial transfer, informing biosecurity for long-duration missions."