Molecular and Microscopical Investigation of the Microflora Inhabiting a Deteriorated Italian Manuscript Dated from the Thirteenth Century (original) (raw)
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This study aims to assess the deterioration aspects of a historical manuscript dating back to the 14th century that was deposited in the Library of the Arabic Language Academy, Cairo, Egypt. The study aims at the exploration of the role of various fungal strains that had colonized this deteriorated manuscript in its biodeterioration through their efficacy in the secretion of various hydrolytic enzymes. To evaluate the deterioration, various techniques, including visual inspection, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-Ray diffraction analysis (XRD), color change, and pH value, were utilized. The fungal strains linked to the historical document were isolated, identified, and evaluated for their deterioration activities. The findings demonstrate that the manuscript exhibits a variety of deterioration signs including color change, brittleness and weakness, erosion, and removal of the grain surface pattern in leather bi...
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Central Library Universitas Indonesia has a collection of old Chinese manuscripts predicted from 18 th-19 th century. The collected manuscripts showed signs of deterioration by microorganisms. The objectives of this study were to characterize morphologically and microscopically the isolated filamentous fungi from two deteriorated old Chinese manuscripts from plot 1 Ruang Naskah Central Library Universitas Indonesia. Observation by stereo microscope was carried out to examine the biodeterioration of the old Chinese manuscripts. Sterile cotton swab was used to obtain samples and culture dependent method was used to isolate fungi. The old manuscripts showed signs of deterioration, i.e., brown and black spots on the manuscripts, and the presence of fungal spores. Five fungal isolates were obtained based on the morphological type differences. Based on morphological characteristics, the isolates were identified to the genus level as Aspergillus (2 isolates), Cladosporium (1 isolate), and Penicillium (2 isolates), and they were anamorphic fungi. The results of this study showed that the old Chinese manuscripts were deteriorated by filamentous fungi. Molecular identification by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions is required to determine the species identities of the fungal strains.
MicrobiologyOpen, 2018
Paper documents in archives, libraries, and museums often undergo biodeterioration by microorganisms. Fungi and less often bacteria have been described to advance paper staining, so called "foxing" and degradation of paper substrates. In this study, for the first time, the fungal and bacterial diversity in biodeteriorated paper documents of Hellenic General State Archives dating back to the 19th and 20th century has been assessed by culture-dependent and independent methods. The internally transcribed spacer (ITS) region and 16S rRNA gene were amplified by PCR from fungal and bacterial isolates and amplicons were sequenced. Sequence analysis and phylogeny revealed fungal phylotypes like Penicillium sp., Cladosporium sp., Penicillium citrinum, Alternaria infectoria, Alternaria alternata, Epicoccum nigrum, and Penicillium chrysogenum which are often implicated in paper deterioration. Bacterial phylotypes closely related to known biodeteriogenic bacteria such as Bacillus spp....
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This multidisciplinary research combines knowledge in molecular biology with fungal morphology, aiming at the identification of infecting fungi from historical documents on the Archive of the University of Coimbra. The identification of infecting fungi on several bibliographic documents and support materials was based both on ribosomal DNA loci amplification and sequencing, and morphological identification, using macro-and microscopical traits. A high fungal diversity was found in all types of support: parchment, laid-paper and wood-pulp paper. Fourteen fungal genera were isolated, identified, and kept in culture. The most frequent were Cladosporium, Penicillium and Aspergillus, and other less frequent genera, such as Alternaria, Botrytis, Chaetomium, Chromelosporium, Epicoccum, Phlebiopsys and Toxicocladosporium were also present. Within these genera, 20 different species were identified, from which 15 were found only in a single support type. Cladosporium cladosporioides and Penicillium chrysogenum were the only species present in all support types.
Microbial ecology
In 2006, after a visual inspection of the Leonardo da Vinci's Atlantic Codex by a scholar, active molds were reported to have been present on Codex pages showing areas of staining. In the present paper, molecular methods were used to assess the current microbiological risk to stained pages of the manuscript. Bacterial and fungal communities were sampled by a non-invasive technique employing nitrocellulose membranes. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of 16 S rRNA gene and internal transcribed space regions were carried out to study the structure of the bacterial and fungal communities and band patterns were analyzed by the multivariate technique of principal component analysis. Any relationship between the presence of an active microbial community and staining was excluded. The presence of potential biodeteriogens was evaluated by constructing bacterial and fungal clone libraries, analyzing them by an operational taxonomic unit (OTU) approach. Among the bacteria, some OTUs were associated with species found on floors in clean room while others were identified with human skin contamination. Some fungal OTU representatives were potential biodeteriogens that, under proper thermo-hygrometric conditions, could grow. The retrieval of these potential biodeteriogens and microorganisms related to human skin suggests the need for a continuous and rigorous monitoring of the environmental conditions, and the need to improve handling procedures.
International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, 2009
In this paper we deliver a report on the study of microbiological damage found on the pages of a 16thcentury book. Our aim is to describe the procedures needed to ensure a conservative approach to the restoration of valuable books and objects of art made from, or supported on, paper. The techniques employed to evaluate and describe the damage observed, as well as the organisms responsible for biodeterioration, are discussed. A range of sampling techniques and instruments were utilised, including swabs and adhesive tape. Conventional methods, such as classic culturing and the direct microscopic observation of sampled material, were coupled with DNA-fingerprinting and phylogenetic analysis. We postulated that the purple stains which migrate through the pages with a felted consistency , based on all the information obtained using traditional and molecular means, were caused by a cellulolytic fungus producing purple essudates, characterised by echinated conidia and Hü lle cells. These elements were consistent with the discovery of both A. versicolor and A. nidulans using molecular techniques.
2018
Diverse fungi were the potential cause of deterioration of written heritage. The old Chinese manuscripts from Central Library Universitas Indonesia showed biodeterioration by fungi. This study was conducted to identify eleven fungal strains from four deteriorated old Chinese manuscripts from Central Library UI by molecular identification using nucleotide sequences of the ITS regions of ribosomal DNA. PCR and DNA sequencing were performed using forward primer ITS5 and reverse primer ITS4. Homology search of ITS rDNA sequences was carried out using basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) program. Full sequences of fungal strain ITS rDNAs were obtained from contig sequences using Chromas Pro 1.7.7 application. Only two fungal strains could be determined to species level. UICC 1099 strain showed 99.4% homology to one type strain, Aspergillus pseudodeflectus NRRL 6135 T. UICC 1101 strain showed 99.8% homology to one type strain, Penicillium coffeae NRRL 35363 T. Nine strains showed homology (85-100%) to more than one type strain as follows: UICC 1100 strain showed homology greater than 99% to three type strains of Aspergillus. UICC 1102 strain showed homology greater than 99% to two type strains of Aspergillus. UICC 1103 strain showed homology greater than 99% to five type strains of Cladosporium. UICC 1104 strain showed homology (92-97%) to three type strains of Sarocladium and Phaeoacremonium. UICC 1105 showed homology (92-93%) to four type strains of Curvularia and Bipolaris. UICC 1106 strain showed homology (99-100%) to five type strains of Cladosporium. UICC 1107 showed homology (95-99%) to three type strains of Paecilomyces and Purpureocillium. UICC 1108 strain showed homology (92-94%) to four type strains of Curvularia and Bipolaris. UICC 1109 strain showed homology (85%) to four type strains of Fusarium and Rectifusarium. Molecular phylogenetic analysis is required to determine the species identities of these strains.
International …, 2012
The microbial diversity of different kinds of stains present on the surface of 14 historical documents (nine parchments and five paper letters) was evaluated through a combination of cultural and molecular methods. The samples were recovered using adhesive tape and swabs and were afterwards treated in two different ways: (1) direct inoculation on agar plates; or (2) suspension in physiological solution and plating in specific plates for the growth of bacteria and fungi. The isolated microorganisms, before identification, were selected by two different PCR-based methods e f-ITS and f-CBH, for bacteria and fungi, respectively. The f-ITS method is based on the amplification of the internal transcribed sequence between the bacterial 16S and 23S rDNA. The f-CBH method is a new molecular selection tool oriented to the fungal cellobiohydrolase gene. Both PCR selection methods produced typical profiles, which clustered the isolates in order to reduce them for subsequent sequencing identification through the amplification of the fungal 28S rRNA and the bacterial 16S rRNA genes. The cellulolytic and proteolytic abilities were screened through the use of three plate assays, the Ostazin Brilliant Red H-3B (OBR-HEC), milk agar, and gelatin agar. Massilia timonae, Lysobacter dokdonensis, and strains belonging to the genus Bacillus sp., Microbacterium sp., and Curtobacterium sp. with different fungal members such as Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium commune, Mucor spinosus, and Phoma herbarum (all recovered from paper) displayed both biodegradative activities. The parchment isolates with a marked proteolytic activity were Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas oryzihabitans, Virgibacillus sp., Micromonospora sp., and again members of the fungal genera Penicillium, Mucor, and Phoma.