Mouse infection models for space flight immunology.

Area of Science:

• Gravitational immunology
• Space immunology
• Host-pathogen interactions

Background:

• Space flight can impact immunological processes, but evidence linking these changes to illness is limited.
• Understanding host resistance during space flight is crucial for astronaut health.
• Population heterogeneity in immune response genes is a key factor to consider.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define models for examining host resistance during space flight.
• To assess how population heterogeneity impacts host health under simulated space-flight stress.
• To investigate the contribution of immune response gene variation to health risks.

Main Methods:

• Utilized genetically diverse mouse strains, including those with varying MHCII allotypes and specific genetic defects on a C57BL background.
• Employed laboratory experimental models and the skeletal unloading model simulating space-flight stress.
• Challenged mice with infectious organisms such as Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium, Pasteurella pneumotropica, and Ehrlichia chaffeensis.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated the utility of genetically varied mouse models in studying host resistance.
• Identified specific mouse genotypes and infectious agents relevant for space flight immunology research.
• Established experimental challenge models to assess space flight's effects on host resistance.

Conclusions:

• Population heterogeneity in immune response genes is a significant factor in host health.
• Developed and validated experimental models for studying space flight's impact on immunity.
• Proposed these models for future assessment of astronaut susceptibility to infectious diseases.