The International Space Station is infested with mysterious BUGS

a reply to: 727Sky
Hmm...really makes me stop and think. According to the article: "A Nasa team found five different varieties of Enterobacter" with a "79% probability that they may potentially cause disease." Also, "three of strains belonged to a species which caused illness in newborn babies here on Earth." Now don't stop, drop and roll - BUT...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it doesn’t know what’s causing a sudden rise in cases of a frightening, polio-like condition that leaves children paralyzed or with weakened limbs. The No. 1 suspect had been a virus called enterovirus D68, or EV-D68. In 2014, a wave of cases of acute flaccid myelitis coincided with outbreaks of EV-D68 across the country.

doctors who have been studying children affected by acute flaccid myelitis say they have gathered a growing body of evidence that EV-D68 is the main cause, and that the virus may have changed in recent years in ways that make the paralyzing side-effects more likely. They’ve documented an increase in cases of EV-D68 surrounding outbreaks of acute flaccid myelitis. Experiments have also shown that EV-D68 can invade nerve tissue, including the spine, and there’s also evidence of genetic changes in the virus itself.

www.nbcnews.com...

Now, I am not saying that this is where or why such a terrible thing has came about but it is worth some weight of thought on a matter. While we have not found "alien" life out there...is it possible that we have created "alien" life out there and the answer is a definite YES...we most definitely have and on purpose in the past:

Past research has shown that bacteria that would normally collapse in the face of standard antibiotics on Earth seem to resist those same drugs much more effectively in the microgravity of space, and even appear more virulent than normal. To figure out how weightlessness gives bacteria a defensive boost, samples of E. coli took a trip to the International Space Station in 2014 so astronauts could experiment with antibiotics. Now, in a new study published this week in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, researchers demonstrates that microgravity gives bacteria some nifty tricks that make a lot less susceptible to antibiotics. Their main defense: getting smaller. The E. coli in space showed a 73 percent reduction in their volume, giving the bacteria much less surface area that can be exposed to antibiotic molecules, Dvorsky reports. Along with this shrinkage, the cell membranes of the E. coli grew at least 25 percent thicker, making it even harder for any antibiotic molecules to pass through them. And the defense mechanisms weren't only the individual level—the E. coli also showed a greater propensity for growing together in clumps, leaving the bacteria on the edges open to danger, but insulating those within from exposure to the antibiotics.

Food (lol) for thought - The CDC on Tuesday also warned the public not to eat any Romaine lettuce – and retailers and restaurants not to sell or serve it – over concerns of an E. coli outbreak.

All of these differences allowed the E. coli on the International Space Station to grow to 13 times the population of the same bacteria grown on Earth under the same conditions, according to the study.

Perhaps even more terrifying, compared to the bacteria grown in the same conditions on Earth, the space-bound E. coli developed fluid-filled sacs called vesicles on their cell membranes, giving them tools that can make them even better at infecting other cells. This means that astro-bacteria could make people ill more easily, creating an infection that is harder to treat.

Why Bacteria in Space Are Surprisingly Tough to Kill

Hmm...A turkey salmonella outbreak, potentially spread throughout the entire processing industry....But health investigators have not been able to identify a single supplier of live turkeys or raw turkey products as the source of the outbreak. That has led them to say the strain involved may be widespread throughout the turkey industry including ground turkey, turkey patties and full turkeys.

Researcher Cheryl Nickerson took some salmonella up there to see what might happen, and what she found was quite surprising.

In fact, the first time they brought salmonella to space and then came down, it returned three to seven times more virulent than the bug grown on the ground.

Now, on purpose: List of microorganisms tested in outer space

So are we being careful enough?...And I would say probably not YET:

Once on Earth, the samples would, according to NASA’s proposal, go straight to a Sample Return Facility, where they would be subjected to a battery of tests for potential biohazards. Once they’re deemed clean, they will be distributed to other research facilities. NASA’s proposed Sample Return Facility would include Biosafety Level 4 labs (the same types of facilities where viruses like Ebola are studied today), as well as cleanrooms to prevent the Martian samples from picking up any stray Earth germs. Unfortunately, “such an integrated facility is not currently available,” NASA notes.

Why Scientists Have Been Scared of Space Germs for Almost 50 Years

And if you aren't freaked out a little bit yet...10 Diseases That Possibly Came From Outer Space

But I myself very much enjoyed the turkey this Thanksgiving and am now anxiously awaiting for 28 days later to see if I turn into a slobbering brain starving zombie deathbot, lol!!!!!