Six crew members will participate in this DSO, whose premise is that the incidence and duration of latent virus reactivation in saliva and urine will increase during space flight. The objective is to determine the frequency of induced reactivation of latent viruses, latent virus shedding, and clinical disease after exposure to the physical, physiological, and psychological stressors associated with space flight.
Space-flight-induced alterations in the immune response become increasingly important on long missions, particularly the potential for reactivation and dissemination (shedding) of latent viruses. An example of a latent virus is Herpes Simplex Type 1 (HSV-1), which infects 70 to 80 percent of all adults. It classically manifests with cold sores, pharyngitis, and tonsillitis and is usually acquired through contact with the saliva, skin, or mucous membranes of an infected individual. However, many recurrences are asymptomatic, resulting in shedding of the virus. Twenty subjects have been studied for Epstein-Barr virus. Three additional viruses will be examined in an expanded subject group.
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