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Introduction
My current work topic focuses on the study of microbiomes of historical and culturally valuable objects. These microbiomes help to understand the current state of conservation of the objects and their risk of biodeterioration in the future. In addition, microbiomes can provide a lot of information about the history of the objects, such as their manufacture, storage and even their geographical origin.
Additional affiliations
December 2020 - present
October 2007 - November 2020
January 1999 - December 2005
Publications
Publications (281)
Fungi have always posed an unquestionable threat to heritage collections worldwide. Now, in a future of climate change, biological risk factors may have to be considered even more than before. Models and simulations to assess possible impacts a changing outdoor climate will have on indoor environments and, in turn, on biodeterioration are still und...
The petroglyphs of the Negev Desert, Israel, are famous and valuable
archaeological remains. Previous studies have investigated the microbial
communities associated with petroglyphs and their potential role in stone
deterioration; nevertheless, the role of fungi remains unclear. In this study, the
fungal communities present on the stone and, as a c...
The Negev petroglyphs are considered valuable cultural heritage sites, but unfortunately, they are exposed to deterioration processes caused by anthropogenic and natural forces. Despite the many studies that have already pointed to the role of cyanobacteria in biogenic rock weathering, the knowledge involved in the process is still lacking. In this...
Salt-weathering is a deterioration mechanism affecting building materials that results from repetitive cycles of salt crystallisation-dissolution in the porous mineral network under changing environmental conditions, causing damage to surfaces. However, an additional biodeterioration phenomenon frequently associated with salt efflorescence is the a...
This article reviews the complementary strategies that are used to decipher the valuable information that is contained in ancient parchment documentary materials. A new trend is molecular analysis, which has given rise to the emerging field of biocodicology, comprising protein and DNA analysis for the identification of the biological origin of the...
Petroglyph sites exist all over the world. They are one of the earliest forms of mankind’s expression and a precursor to art. Despite their outstanding value, comprehensive research on conservation and preservation of rock art is minimal, especially as related to biodeterioration. For this reason, the main objective of this study was to explore the...
This interdisciplinary research on the Kiev folia, a 10th century Slavonic manuscript, shows how material and biological analyses as well as imaging methods can be applied to answer relevant questions that contribute to a better understanding of the history and conservation of ancient manuscripts. By applying non-invasive analytical methods, includ...
Microorganisms, like bacteria and fungi, are becoming an emerging resource for the development of eco-sustainable plastic degradation and recycling processes. In this study, the rumen content from cattle (Bos taurus) was investigated regarding synthetic polyester hydrolyzing enzymes based on the fact that the diet of ruminants may contain natural p...
Thanks to the revolutionary invention of the polymerase chain reaction and the sequencing of DNA and RNA by means of “Sanger sequencing” in the 1970th and 1980th, it became possible to detect microorganisms in art and cultural assets that do not grow on culture media or that are non-viable. The following generation of sequencing systems (next gener...
Our cultural heritage is a common asset that tells the story of our shared past, is part of our origin and identity and has wide social relevance. Our works of art and our heritage must be enjoyed, appreciated and preserved for future generations. To this end, a wide and varied group of professionals, including conservators, restorers, curators, bi...
Seven emblematic Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings were investigated through third generation sequencing technology (Nanopore). In addition, SEM analyses were carried out to acquire photographic documentation and to infer the nature of the micro-objects removed from the surface of the drawings. The Nanopore generated microbiomes can be used as a “bio-ar...
Immunocompromised patients are predisposed to chronically infected wounds. Especially ulcers in the dorsal region often experience secondary polymicrobial infections. However, current wound infection models mostly use single-strain bacteria. To mimic clinically occurring infections caused by fecal contamination in immunocompromised/immobile patient...
This study provides an example in the emerging field of biocodicology showing how metagenomics can help answer relevant questions that may contribute to a better understanding of the history of ancient manuscripts. To this end, two Slavonic codices dating from the 11th century were investigated through shotgun metagenomics. Endogenous DNA enabled t...
Salt mines are among the most extreme environments as they combine darkness, low nutrient availability, and hypersaline conditions. Based on comparative genomics and transcriptomics, we describe in this work the adaptive strategies of the true halophilic fungus Aspergillus salisburgensis, found in a salt mine in Austria, and compare this strain to...
In this study, three possibly smuggled marble statues of an unknown origin, two human torsi (a female and a male) and a small head, were subjected to molecular analyses. The aim was to reconstruct the history of the storage of each single statue, to infer the possible relationship among them, and to elucidate their geographical shift. A genetic str...
Stone, one of the earliest testimonies of human artistic expression, is susceptible to biodeterioration by microorganisms. The most frequent stone colonizing agents are algae, cyanobacteria, bacteria, fungi and lichens, each with their own set of adaptive traits, which allow them to prosper and consequently damage the stone substrate. Limestone is...
Recent investigations have shown that xerophilic fungi may pose a biodeterioration risk by threatening objects of cultural heritage including many types of materials, including wood, paint layers, organic glues or leather and even metal. Historic-and also new built-pipe organs combine all those materials. In this study, halotolerant aspergilli and...
We, a group of concerned researchers and conservators, are very grateful to the 17th International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation Symposium (IBBS17) organizing committee and to the International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation Society president Brenda Little for giving us this opportunity to have a Panel Discussion on the "Past, Present an...
The fungal genus Knufia mostly comprises extremotolerant species from environmental sources, especially rock surfaces. The draft genome sequence of the rock fungus Knufia petricola presented here is the first whole-genome sequence of the only species among black fungi known to have a nonmelanized spontaneous mutant.
Diffusely contaminated soils often remain untreated as classical remediation approaches would be disproportionately expensive. Adding compost can accelerate the biodegradation of organic contaminants and adding biochar can immobilize contaminants through sorption. The combined use of compost and biochar to reduce polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PA...
Halophilic fungal strains isolated from historical wooden staircase in a salt mine in Austria, and from wall biofilm and soil of a cave in the Coastal Range of the hyperarid Atacama Desert in Chile were characterised and described newly as Aspergillus salisburgensis and Aspergillus atacamensis. Morphological characters including solitary phialides...
The Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo contain over 1800 bodies dating from the 16th-20th centuries. Human remains and other materials within the catacombs are currently infested by a variety of insect pest species. To evaluate the community of organisms associated with these materials, the activity and abundance of insect pests were investigated. Stick...
Background:
The prosperity of Hallstatt (Salzkammergut region, Austria) is based on the richness of salt in the surrounding mountains and salt mining, which is documented as far back as 1500 years B.C. Substantial archaeological evidence of Bronze and Iron Age salt mining has been discovered, with a wooden staircase (1108 B.C.) being one of the mo...
Map showing the area where the prehistoric staircase was discovered.
Salt mine “Christian von Tusch Werk”, Austrian region of “Salzkammergut” (Upper Austria). The brown colour indicates the location where the staircase was buried.
(TIF)
RAPD-PCR patterns of representative strains.
Strains were isolated from 3% (A), 10% (B), 20% (w/v) NaCl, sample 13216 (C) and 20% (w/v) NaCl media, sample 1003 (D). The number of lanes indicates the number of the strains. M1: 100 bp ladder (Fermentas), M2: 1Kb ladder (Fermentas).
(TIF)
DGGE-fingerprints.
Fingerprints derived from bacterial (A), archaeal (B) and fungal (C) communities colonizing all three stairs sampled. The linear chemical gradient of denaturants used was 30–60% for Bacteria and Archaea, and 20–50% for Fungi. Lane 1: stair 13216; lane 2: stair 1003; lane 3: stair 425; B: positive control Bacteria; A: positive con...
PCR-profiles of the 26 characterized fungal strains derived from the amplification of the cbh-I gene.
Lane M1: 100 bp ladder (Fermentas); lane 1: strain HF1; lane 2: strain HF2; lane 3: strain HF3; lane 4: strain HF4; lane 5: strain HF5; lane 6: strain HF6; lane 10: strain HF10; lane 11: strain HF11; lane 12: strain HF12; lane 13: strain HF13; lane...
The aim of this study was to detect the community structure of Bacteria and Archaea, especially halophilic microorganisms, involved in the biodeterioration of historic building materials, as brick and paint coating. The Ion Torrent™ sequencing technology platform was used for the first time to analyse these materials. Amplicons were generated by us...
Fig. S3. Rarefaction curves done with R and the VEGAN package. The number of expected species (y‐axis) is plotted as a function of the number of samples (x‐axis). Blue line: sample CI; black line: sample CII; green line: sample Ny1 and red line: sample N2.
Fig. S1. Sampling. The samples obtained from the drawing were all documented and ‘mapped’ on a coordinate grid, plotted on a scale reproduction of the work. a, d) Series of cotton swabs were rubbed gently on the foxed areas on the recto: Swab 1, Swab 2, Swab 3, Swab 4, Swab 5 and Swab 6, and on the verso of the drawing: Swab 7, Swab 8, Swab 9, Swab...
Fig. S2. Detail of the surface of the drawing. At the recto: a, b, c; and at the verso: d, e, f. Pictures obtained with a digital camera connected to a Leica MZ16 stereoscopic microscope fitted with low temperature fibre optic lighting. Micro‐particles, filaments, individual raised fibres and ‘objects’ in contact with the work, particularly in rela...
Biomineralization processes have recently been applied in situ to protect and consolidate decayed ornamental stone of the Royal Chapel in Granada (Spain). While this promising method has demonstrated its efficacy regarding strengthening of the stone, little is known about its ecological sustainability.
Here, we report molecular monitoring of the st...
Leonardo da Vinci's self-portrait is affected by foxing spots. The portrait has no fungal or bacterial infections in place but is contaminated with airborne spores and fungal material that could play a role in its disfigurement. The knowledge of the nature of the stains is of great concern because future conservation treatments should be derived fr...
ABSTRACT: The variety of biodeterioration phenomena affecting our cultural heritage is determined by several factors, such as the chemical composition and nature of the materi-al itself, and also the climate and exposure of the object. A well-known biodeterioration phenomenon, widely observed on monuments located in central and south Europe, is the...
A combined approach, using molecular and microscopic techniques, was used to identify the microbiota associated with the Archimedes Palimpsest, an unusual parchment manuscript. SEM analyses revealed the microbial damage to the collagen fibers and the presence of characteristic cell chains typical of filamentous bacteria and fungal spores. Molecular...
A number of mural paintings and building materials from monuments located in central and south Europe are characterized by the presence of an intriguing rosy discolouration phenomenon. Although some similarities were observed among the bacterial and archaeal microbiota detected in these monuments, their origin and nature is still unknown. In order...
The traditional methodology used for the identification of microbes colonizing our cultural heritage was the application of cultivation methods and/or microscopy. This approach has many advantages, as living microorganisms may be obtained for physiological investigations. In addition, these techniques allow the quantitative and qualitative assessme...
The Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, Italy, contain over 1800 mummies dating from the 16th to 20th centuries AD. Their environment is not conducive to the conservation of the remains due to, among other factors, water infiltration, which is producing salt efflorescences on the walls. A multiphasic approach was applied to investigate the halophilic mi...
Fig. S1. DGGE fingerprints derived from seven different parchment samples showing:
A. Bacterial communities.
B. Fungal communities.
The linear chemical gradient of denaturants used was 35–60% for bacteria and 20–50% for fungi. Lane 1: 148D; lane 2: MXIV; lane 3: MS-492; lane 5: To800; lane 6: Bo-Arch; lane 7: Ve-3; lane 8: Ve-21; lanes + : positive...
Many ancient parchments are defaced by red or purple maculae associated with localised destruction of collagen fibres. Although the main characteristics of this damage were present in most of the manuscripts analysed by many authors, no common microbial or fungal denominator has been found so far, and little or no correspondence between the microbi...
The fungus Minimedusa polyspora (Hotson) Weresub & P.M. Le Clair was isolated during a survey aimed at collecting cellulolytic fungi from the soil–litter interface of the Mediterranean maquis environment in Italy. The metabolic profiling of the species and its ability to translocate nutrients between decaying leaf litter and soil have been investig...
The Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo contain over 1800 preserved bodies spanning the 16th-20th centuries A.D., many of which now show serious evidence of biodeterioration. In order to protect these remains, an extensive microbiological and molecular investigation was performed to clarify which biological agents are involved in the ongoing deterioratio...
In this study, we investigated the microbial community (bacteria and fungi) colonising an oil painting on canvas, which showed visible signs of biodeterioration. A combined strategy, comprising culture-dependent and -independent techniques, was selected. The results derived from the two techniques were disparate. Most of the isolated bacterial stra...
Microorganisms (bacteria, archaea and fungi), in addition to lichens and insect pests, cause problems in the conservation of cultural heritage because of their biodeteriorative potential. This holds true for all types of historic artefacts, and even for art made of modern materials, in public buildings, museums and private art collections. The vari...
a b s t r a c t Flow cytometry is often used for viability and vitality assessment in bacteria and yeasts. However, its application to the study of fungal spore development is uncommon, probably due to the difficulties in successfully staining these cells. In the current study, we used flow cytometry for the first time to assess the effects of a di...
Fungi are among the most degradative organisms inducing biodeterioration of paper-based items of cultural heritage. Appropriate conservation measures and restoration treatments to deal with fungal infections include mechanical, chemical, and biological methods, which entail effects on the paper itself and health hazards for humans. Three different...
We investigated the decayed historical church window glasses of two Catalonian churches, both under Mediterranean climate. Glass surfaces were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Their chemical composition was determined by wavelength-dispersive spectrometry (WDS) micropr...
Phylogenetic affiliations of the archaeal partial 16S rRNA coding sequences detected in the Capuchin Catacombs, Palermo.
Phylogenetic affiliations of the partial 16S rRNA coding sequences obtained from human remains held in the Capuchin Catacombs, Palermo.
Phylogenetic affiliations of the partial 16S rRNA coding sequences obtained from wall materials collected in the Capuchin Catacombs, Palermo.
Phylogenetic affiliations of the fungal ITS coding sequences obtained from human remains held in the Capuchin Catacombs, Palermo.
The Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo contain over 1800 preserved bodies dating from the 16(th) -20(th) centuries AD and showing evidence of biodeterioration. An extensive microbiological and molecular investigation was performed. Samples were taken from skin, muscle, hair, bone, stuffing materials, clothes and surrounding walls as well as from the ind...