title: Temporal changes in the skin Malassezia microbiota of members of the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE): A case study in Antarctica as a pseudo-space environment.
abstract: The International Space Station (ISS) is located approximately 400 km above the Earth. Astronauts staying at the ISS are under microgravity and are thus unable to bathe or shower; instead, they wash their bodies using wet tissues. For astronauts, skin hygiene management is important to maintain the quality of life during long-term stays on the ISS. In Antarctica, members of a Japanese geological investigation team negotiate their way over land using snowmobiles. During their 3-month stay, they are subject to a "pseudo-space" environment similar to that experienced by ISS astronauts, including the inability to bathe or shower. In this study, temporal changes in the colonization levels of skin lipophilic fungi, Malassezia were investigated in 16 team members. Compared to the levels before their trip to Antarctica, the fold changes in Malassezia colonization levels during the researchers' stay in Antarctica were in the range of 3.0 ± 1.9 to 5.3 ± 7.5 in cheek samples, 8.9 ± 10.6 to 22.2 ± 40.0 in anterior chest samples, 6.2 ± 5.4 to 16.9 ± 25.5 in behind-the-ear samples, and 1.7 ± 0.9 to 17.4 ± 33.4 in sole-of-the-foot samples. On the scalp, the level of Malassezia colonization increased dramatically, by 96.7 ± 113.8 to 916.9 ± 1251.5 fold. During their stay in Antarctica, the team members experienced itchy scalps and produced a large number of scales. The relative proportions of Malassezia globosa and M. restricta shifted to seborrheic dermatitis/dandruff types. These results provide useful information for the development of skin hygiene management plans for astronauts staying at the ISS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Meiji Pharmaceutical University, Kiyose, Tokyo, Japan sugita@my-pharm.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugita
authors.affiliation: ISS Science Project Office, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan Laboratory of Space and Environmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Teikyo University, Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan Teikyo University Institute of Medical Mycology and Genome Research Center, Teikyo University, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.affiliation: Space Biomedical Research Office, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Shin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.affiliation: Space Biomedical Research Office, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takeoka
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Meiji Pharmaceutical University, Kiyose, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Otomi
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Meiji Pharmaceutical University, Kiyose, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Takafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR), Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan Toukatsu Hospital, Nagareyama, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Giichiro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ohno
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR), Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Space and Environmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Teikyo University, Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan Teikyo University Institute of Medical Mycology and Genome Research Center, Teikyo University, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Makimura
authors.affiliation: Space Biomedical Research Office, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohshima
authors.affiliation: ISS Science Project Office, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ishioka
authors.affiliation: Space Biomedical Research Office, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Chiaki
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mukai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000864:Antarctic Regions; D044466:Asian People; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D005101:Expeditions; D006801:Humans; D008290:Malassezia / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008297:Male; D064307:Microbiota; D008875:Middle Aged; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology*
keywords: Antarctica; Malassezia; international space station; skin