MICROFLORA OF PAPYRUS FROM SAMPLES OF CAIRO MUSEUMS

Abstract

Different Fungi imperfecti, Ascomycetes and Actinomycetes were isolated from samples of papyrus of Cairo museums. It was ascertained that some micro-organisms, such as Alternaria geophila, Botryodiplodia theobromae, Emericellopsis minima, Fusarium lactis, Helminthosporium sativum, Spondylocladium australe, some species of the genus Chaetomium and some Streptomyces seem to be specific for papyrus and/or for Egyptian climatic conditions. The genus Chaetomium and Emericellopsis may play a great role in decomposition of basic polymers of papyrus. Considering the nitrogen source of microflora, it can be observed that papyrus-destroying micro-organisms preferred ammonium to nitrate ions.It was found that papyrus-decomposing micro-organisms may grow equally well at 24-26°C as at 30°C and some fungi are growing even at 42°C. The members of the genus Penicillium, which prefer rather low temperatures and are frequent inhabitants of paper, were isolated from papyrus only once.By using the method of paper sheets damped with a 10 per cent ethyl alcohol solution of thymol, pentachlorophenol, dichlorophene and p-chloro-m-cresol as microbiocides it could be concluded that only the last fungicide may assure the protection of papyrus.