The pathogen in its transformed state poses a significant infectious disease risk. It is a particularly tenacious foe in immunocompromised individuals, like those undergoing treatment for AIDS, chemotherapy or bone marrow transplantation, and can also cause disease in normal individuals taking antibiotics.
Among the more remarkable findings of this research are that pathogens globally alter their gene expression and disease-related properties during spaceflight culture in ways that cannot be observed during traditional experimental approaches, where the force of gravity can mask key responses.