Bacterial Genome Sequences of Uncharacterized Chitinophaga Species Isolated from the International Space Station

The genus Chitinophaga was described by Sangkhobol and Skerman when characterizing the type species Chitinophaga pinensis (1). Chitinophaga consists of Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium (2), and at the time of writing, there are 56 species listed on List of Prokaryotic Names with Standing in Nomenclature (www.bacterio.net) (3).

There have been previous reports of Chitinophaga isolated from ground-based wastewater systems (4), and it has been identified by studies conducted onboard the International Space Station (ISS) (5).

Here, we present four whole-genome sequences of Chitinophaga recovered from ISS wastewater during expeditions 54 and 65. Samples 180180018-2 and 180180018-3 were collected on 30 October 2017, and 212800008-4 and 212800010-3 were collected on 6 September 2021.

The ISS Water Processor Assembly manages water at various levels of cleanliness and handles water reclamation (6). Following microbiological sample collection, 250 mL was returned to Earth in a Teflon collection bag under ambient conditions. Upon arrival, samples were maintained under ambient conditions and transported to the Microbiology Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Bacterial genome sequences of uncharacterized Chitinophaga species isolated from the International Space Station, ASM Bacteriology (open access)

Astrobiology