Dormant viruses activate during spaceflight — NASA investigates

The stress of spaceflight gives viruses a holiday from immune surveillance, putting future deep-space missions in jeopardy Herpes viruses reactivate in more than half of crew aboard Space Shuttle and International Space Station missions, according to NASA research published in Frontiers in Microbiology. While only a small proportion develop symptoms, virus reactivation rates increase with spaceflight duration and could present a significant health risk on missions to Mars and beyond. NASA’s rapid viral detection systems and ongoing treatment research are beginning to safeguard astronauts – and immunocompromised patients on Earth, too. Herpes viruses reactivate in immunocompromised astronauts “NASA astronauts endure weeks or even months exposed to microgravity and cosmic radiation – not to mention the extreme G forces of take-off and re-entry,” says senior author Dr. Satish K. Mehta of KBR Wyle at the Johnson Space Center. “This physical challenge is compounded by more familiar stressors like social separation, confinement and an altered sleep-wake...