Biodeterioration Of Cultural Heritage Research Articles

Unearthing the global patterns of cultural heritage microbiome for conservation

Cultural heritage worldwide is threatened by microbial biodeterioration. However, we know very little about the global biogeography, ecology, and driving forces of these microbiomes. Here, we provide the first global ecological perspective on the microbiomes of cultural heritage by meta-analyzing ∼1000 microbiomes from contrasting environmental conditions. The results show that the bacterial communities of cultural heritage are mainly influenced by global climate (especially by precipitation patterns), while those fungal communities, dominated by saprotrophs, are largely explained by local habitat conditions. Amongst, phototrophic bacteria (e.g., Alpha-proteobacteria, and Cyanobacteria) and some saprotrophic fungi (e.g., Sordariomycetes, and Dothideomycetes) construct the backbone of the cultural heritage microbiome. In this regard, the biodeterioration of cultural heritage could be pre-estimated and predicted by the ecological calculation on the big data of global environmental conditions and microbiome. In summary, the ecological perspective of the microbiomes on global cultural heritage can help to safeguard the long-term sustainable conservation for future generations.

Fungal biodeterioration and preservation of cultural heritage, artwork, and historical artifacts: extremophily and adaptation.

SUMMARYFungi are ubiquitous and important biosphere inhabitants, and their abilities to decompose, degrade, and otherwise transform a massive range of organic and inorganic substances, including plant organic matter, rocks, and minerals, underpin their major significance as biodeteriogens in the built environment and of cultural heritage. Fungi are often the most obvious agents of cultural heritage biodeterioration with effects ranging from discoloration, staining, and biofouling to destruction of building components, historical artifacts, and artwork. Sporulation, morphological adaptations, and the explorative penetrative lifestyle of filamentous fungi enable efficient dispersal and colonization of solid substrates, while many species are able to withstand environmental stress factors such as desiccation, ultra-violet radiation, salinity, and potentially toxic organic and inorganic substances. Many can grow under nutrient-limited conditions, and many produce resistant cell forms that can survive through long periods of adverse conditions. The fungal lifestyle and chemoorganotrophic metabolism therefore enable adaptation and success in the frequently encountered extremophilic conditions that are associated with indoor and outdoor cultural heritage. Apart from free-living fungi, lichens are a fungal growth form and ubiquitous pioneer colonizers and biodeteriogens of outdoor materials, especially stone- and mineral-based building components. This article surveys the roles and significance of fungi in the biodeterioration of cultural heritage, with reference to the mechanisms involved and in relation to the range of substances encountered, as well as the methods by which fungal biodeterioration can be assessed and combated, and how certain fungal processes may be utilized in bioprotection.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Current Status on Biodeterioration of Cultural Heritage during 2018-2022

Biodeterioration occurs through the availability of biotic and abiotic factors favoring the growth of harmful fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms on cultural heritage. Thus, biodeterioration mechanism has raised a global concern since it is commonly detected on cultural heritage buildings located in specific geographical locations such as southern European countries. This study conducts a bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer and OpenRefine for data cleaning by obtaining data from Scopus database of peer-reviewed publications to provide an overview of scientific literatures on biodeterioration. A total of 537 articles were analyzed within the period of 2018 – 2022 to acquire the current status of biodeterioration issue. 537 documents on biodeterioration were published by 1451 organizations from 68 countries. The co-authorship network map generated the trend of authors in biodeterioration research that identified the most productive author from China and organization from Japan. The co-occurrence network map of the keywords presented the significant interrelations of biodeterioration research field with the development of natural biocides to cope with the colonization of fungi and bacteria on cultural heritage. These results are expected to support the understanding of the intellectual structure of biodeterioration research.

The Role of Fungi in Biodeterioration of Cultural Heritage: New Insights for Their Control

Fungi are nature’s major decomposers, and they play an essential role in biogeochemical cycles [...]

Mixed culture: encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration and communication to enhance learning

Undergraduate microbiology or biology students are not likely to be acquainted with the deterioration of cultural heritage. However, the topic provides an excellent opportunity for students to bring their existing ‘non-scientific’ skills and knowledge (such as history, geography, art, photography, and textiles) together with applied microbiology in order to develop their learning. A lecture on microbiology and art was given to first-year undergraduate students, who were then set an assignment to investigate a topic of their choice linking the two subjects, illustrated by a creative output. The assignment enabled students to demonstrate their creativity, use their different talents, and engage in new learning. It proved very successful as a tool for engaging and inspiring the students to study microbiology and be more explorative in subsequent years. Indeed, for final year studies, some students continued to work on their ‘art project’. Interdisciplinary collaborations and new learning for the author have been additional benefits of this education project, with many varied outputs, including an ‘Atlas of Biodeterioration’, produced by researchers in the field. Biodeterioration of cultural heritage provides a rich focus for the development of informative and innovative activities in an educational setting.

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy and cultural heritage biodeterioration: Fungi identification in earthen architecture from Paraíba Valley (São Paulo, Brazil)

In this work, Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) was employed in the taxonomic identification of fungi found in biofilms formed on earthen architecture walls (adobe, wattle and daub, and rammed earth) of historical buildings in the region known as Paraíba Valley (or São Paulo Historical Valley), which are representative of the first phase of the Brazilian coffee cycle (1820–1880). Very few studies are reported in the literature where SERS-based techniques are used in fungi identification, most of them focused on clinical diagnosis. In the present investigation, pure colonies isolated from biofilms on earthen walls previously identified by classic taxonomy and molecular biology were selected. The genera were Trichoderma, Cladosporium, Aspergillus, Neurospora, Fusarium and Penicillium. The fungi were cultured on solid potato dextrose agar, extracted with ethyl acetate and the extracts were applied on dried Au nanoparticles. The SERS spectra exhibited bands in the 600–1800 cm−1 region which are characteristic of each genus, except Penicillium, as revealed by PCA statistical analysis. This work reports the use of a facile to prepare SERS-active substrate in the identification of microbial communities on earthen architecture walls and is the first step of an investigation aiming at the fast identification of fungi species from biofilms formed on earthen architecture buildings without the need of isolating the pure cultures.

Dual phylogenetic staining protocol for simultaneous analysis of yeast and bacteria in artworks

The detection and analysis of metabolically active microorganisms are useful to determine those directly involved in the biodeterioration of cultural heritage (CH). Fluorescence in situ hybridization with oligonucleotide probes targeted at rRNA (RNA-FISH) has demonstrated to be a powerful tool for signaling them. However, more efforts are required for the technique to become a vital tool for the analysis of CH’s microbiological communities. Simultaneous analysis of microorganisms belonging to different kingdoms, by RNA-FISH in-suspension approach, could represent an important progress: it could open the door for the future use of the technique to analyze the microbial communities by flow cytometry, which has shown to be a potent tool in environmental microbiology. Thus, in this work, various already implemented in-suspension RNA-FISH protocols for ex situ analysis of yeast and bacteria were investigated and adapted for allowing the simultaneous detection of these types of microorganisms. A deep investigation of the factors that can affect the results was carried out, focusing particular attention on the selection of the fluorochromes used for labelling the probe set. The resultant protocol, involving the use of EUK516–6-FAM/EUB338–Cy3 probes combination, was validated using artificial consortia and gave positive preliminary results when applied in samples from a real case study: the Paleolithic archaeological site of Escoural Cave (Alentejo, Portugal). This approach represents the first dual-staining RNA-FISH in-suspension protocol developed and applied for the simultaneous investigation of CH biodeteriogenic agents belonging to different kingdoms.

Cyanobacteria and Biodeterioration of Cultural Heritage: A Review

Growing concern for the preservation of cultural heritage has led to a greater interest in the biological attack on these buildings. The importance of cyanobacteria as deteriogens is emphasized and the traditional and more modern molecular methods used to detect these microorganisms are discussed. The development of molecular techniques for the rapid identification of cyanobacteria without need for culture and isolation is fundamental if our knowledge of these communities in biofilms on the surfaces of historic buildings is to be extended.