Nasa's $80,000 HERPES study

Researchers hope to understand the mutation rate and why symptoms of the virus become worse when it leaves Earth.

'The goal of this study will be to determine the changes in the genomic and mutational diversity that is present in the Herpesvirus virome present in astronaut saliva and urine samples collected before, during, and after space flight,' said Nasa.

Nasa has been given a few grants and contrast to use a researcher facility at the University of Florida to understand the 'effect of spaceflight on herpseviros genome stability and diversity', reported The Washington Free Beacon.

And last month, the organization was awarded an additional $15,000 for the study.

'Ground subjects will serve as the control group providing saliva and urine samples pre-flight and post-flight during the same schedule as the astronauts,' explained Nasa.

The study will focuse on four different types of the herpes virus: Herpes simplex virus, or oral herpes, Epstein-Barr virus, Varicella infection, which causes chickenpox and herpes zoster that results in shingles.

'At least four (Epstein Barr virus- EBV, Varicella zoster virus- VZV, Cytomegalovirus– CMV, and Herpes simplex virus 1 -HSV1) of the eight known human Herpesviruses are common life-long infections humans have shown to reactivated due to space flight,' NASA said.

'The fact that space flight is known to increase the frequency and duration of Herpesvirus reactivation sets up a biological environment for these reactivating and replicating viruses to mutate.'

Researchers will collect and analyze saliva and urine samples of each astronaut involved in the study before they set out for space.

Then 'deep sequence analysis' will be performed on the samples before, during and after astronauts return from the mission.

The mutation frequency presented in the samples will also be analyzed during each of those times.

And the final step will be to compile all the data and determine whether the overall diversity of the viruses in each of the samples before during and after and the 'mutation frequency present in the samples before, during, and after space flight'

In 2012, Nasa published an article explaining why so many astronauts suffer from shingles after they travel into space.

'Eight herpes viruses may reside in the human body, and virtually all of us are infected by one or more of these viruses,' reported the article.

'The herpes viruses are already present in astronauts, as they are in at least 95 percent of the general adult population worldwide.'

'So measuring the appearance of herpes viruses in astronaut body fluids serves as a much-needed immune biomarker.'

An early detection for shingles is already being used by Nasa, in order to help astronauts avoid the painful effects of the virus before it resurfaces, according to the article.

The study is underway and will continue until May 2018, but no news of results have been published.

'In summary, the proposed study is a unique opportunity to examine the influence of space flight on the mutation rate and diversity of human persistent viruses and to assess the potential risk of virus mutations accumulating during long-duration missions,' Nasa said.

(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3420129/Nasa-s-80-000-HERPES-study-Astronauts-undergo-testing-virus-aggressive-space.html)