The microbiology of Lascaux Cave

Lascaux Cave (Montignac, France) contains paintings from the Upper Paleolithic period. Shortly after its discovery in 1940, the cave was seriously disturbed by major destructive interventions. In 1963, the cave was closed due to algal growth on the walls. In 2001, the ceiling, walls and sediments were colonized by the fungus Fusarium solani. Later, black stains, probably of fungal origin, appeared on the walls. Biocide treatments, including quaternary ammonium derivatives, were extensively applied for a few years, and have been in use again since January 2008. The microbial communities in Lascaux Cave were shown to be composed of human-pathogenic bacteria and entomopathogenic fungi, the former as a result of the biocide selection. The data show that fungi play an important role in the cave, and arthropods contribute to the dispersion of conidia. A careful study on the fungal ecology is needed in order to complete the cave food web and to control the black stains threatening the Paleolithic paintings. © 2010 SGM.We thank support from the Ministry of Culture and Communication, France, the Spanish project CGL2006-07424/BOS, and facilities from DRAC Aquitaine. This is a TCP CSD2007-00058 paper.Peer Reviewe

Laboratory and in situ assays of digital image analysis based protocols for biodeteriorated rock and mural paintings recording

8 pages, 8 figures, 43 references.Rock art paintings, and in general mural paintings, are one of the many elements of cultural heritage complex systems. As the different elements of a system have diverse spatial positions, spatial recording allows understanding their interactions. Thus, a useful approach to mural paintings recording is to understand it as a microcartography issue, managing each element of the system as a cartographic coverage. The approach implemented emphasizes the utilization of data obtained by remote sensing techniques for extracting different kinds of information susceptible of being analysed, classified and plotted in a differentiate way by means of the possibility of reducing redundant data by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the elaboration of false-colour images from uncorrelated bands. A laboratory model was prepared in order to simulate biodeterioration of rock art. The samples were photographically recorded thereafter under different lighting conditions, and PCA applied to the resulting images. False-colour images obtained by combining Principal Component bands allowed us to reach results similar to those of an unsupervised classification. The method has been applied to Roman mural paintings from one of the tombs of Carmona Necropolis, obtaining good results.Peer reviewe

Cyanidium sp. Colonizadora de cuevas turísticas

4 páginas.-- 3 figuras..- 18 referencias.-- Comunicación presentada en el Congreso Estudio y Conservación del Patrimonio Cultural. Actas 16-19 de noviembre 2015, MálagaLas cuevas albergan variados grupos de microorganismos, entre los que se encuentran los de metabolismo fotosintético, que se desarrollan en las zonas iluminadas.1,2 En general, estos microorganismos forman parte de comunidades estructurales complejas denominadas biofilms, que también pueden estar formados por microorganismos heterótrofos e incluso pequeños invertebrados. De forma natural, los organismos fotosintéticos colonizan las zonas más externas de las cuevas pero en las cuevas turísticas, el sistema de iluminación eléctrica permite su desarrollo en las zonas más profundas, alrededor de los focos de luz. En estos medios es común la presencia de una flora que se relaciona con la otros ambientes aerofíticos, cuyo desarrollo depende de la biorreceptividad del sustrato y de las condiciones ambientales disponibles. La disponibilidad de algunos requisitos como agua, radiación fotosintética activa (PAR) o propiedades del sustrato determinan el tipo de microorganismo presente y su abundancia.N

A multiproxy approach to evaluate biocidal treatm entson biodeteri orated majolica glazed tiles

23 páginas.-- 10 figuras.-- 6 tablas.-- 88 referencias.-- Supporting information Additional Supporting Information may be found in the online version of this article at the publisher’s web-site: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.13380The Fishing House located on the grounds of the Marquis of Pombal Palace, Oeiras, Portugal, was built in the 18th century. During this epoch, Portuguese gardens, such as the one surrounding the Fishing House, were commonly ornamented with glazed wall tile claddings. Currently, some of these outdoor tile panels are covered with dark colored biofilms, contributing to undesirable aesthetic changes and eventually inducing chemical and physical damage to the tile surfaces. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the investigated biofilms are mainly composed of green algae, cyanobacteria and dematiaceous fungi. With the aim of mitigating biodeterioration, four different biocides (TiO2 nanoparticles, Biotin® T, Preventol® RI 80 and Albilex Biostat®) were applied in situ to the glazed wall tiles. Their efficacy was monitored by visual examination, epifluorescence microscopy and DNA-based analysis. Significant changes in the microbial community composition were observed 4 months after treatment with Preventol® RI 80 and Biotin® T. Although the original community was inactivated after these treatments, an early stage of re-colonization was detected 6 months after the biocide application. TiO2 nanoparticles showed promising results due to their self-cleaning effect, causing the detachment of the biofilm from the tile surface, which remained clean 6 and even 24 months after biocide application.This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT-MCTES) under grant no. SFRH/BD/46038/2008 and project no. UID/EAT/00729/2013. A. Z. Miller acknowledges the support from a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship of the European Commission’s 7th Framework Programme (PIEF-GA-2012-328689). Authors acknowledge the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation Research Programme in Technologies for the Assessment and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (TCP CSD2007-00058),Peer reviewe

Biological Control of Phototrophic Biofilms in a Show Cave: The Case of Nerja Cave

13 páginas.- 5 figuras.- 2 tablas.- 39 referenciasCyanobacteria and microalgae are usually found in speleothems, rocks and walls of show caves exposed to artificial lighting. These microorganisms develop as biofilms coating the mineral surfaces and producing aesthetic, physical and chemical deterioration. A wide number of physical, chemical and environmental-friendly methods have been used for controlling the biofilms with different results. Natural biological control has been suggested by some authors as a theoretical approach but without direct evidence or application. Here we report the finding of a natural biological control of phototrophic biofilms on the speleothems of Nerja Cave, Malaga, Spain. The formation of plaques or spots where the phototrophic microorganisms disappeared can be assumed on the basis of processes of predation of bacteria, amoebas and some other organisms on the phototrophic biofilms. This study aims at investigating the potentialities of the biological control of phototrophic biofilms in caves, but the originality of these data should be confirmed in future studies with a larger number of biofilm samples in different ecological scenarios.Peer reviewe

Agromyces italicus sp. nov., Agromyces humatus sp. nov. and Agromyces lapidis sp. nov., isolated from Roman catacombs

A polyphasic study was carried out to clarify the taxonomic positions of three Gram-positive isolates from the Catacombs of Domitilla, Rome (Italy). 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons placed these strains within the genus Agromyces. The morphological and chemotaxonomic characteristics of these isolates were consistent wiih the description of the genus Agromyces. The three isolates could be readily distinguished from one another and from representatives of all Agromyces species with validly published names by a broad range of phenotypic characteristics and DNA-DNA relatedness studies. Therefore, these isolates are proposed to represent three novel species of the genus Agromyces, Agromyces italicus sp. nov. (type strain CD1T=HKI 0325T=DSM 16388T=NCIMB 14011T), Agromyces humatus sp. nov. (type strain CD5T=HKI 0327T=DSM 16389T=NCIMB 14012T) and Agromyces lapidis sp. nov. (type strain CD55T =HKI 0324T=DSM 16390T=NCIMB 14013T). © 2005 IUMS.V. J. and L. L. are grateful to fellowships from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (MEC) I3P programme and J. M. G. to an MEC contract from the ‘Ramo´n y Cajal’ programme. This study was supported by project CATS (EVK4-CT2000-00028) and MEC project BTE2002-04492-C02-01.Peer Reviewe

Phyllobacterium catacumbae sp. nov., a member of the order 'Rhizobiales' isolated from Roman catacombs

Two strains were isolated from tuff, a volcanic rock that forms the walls of the Roman Catacombs of Saint Callixtus in Rome, Italy. A polyphasic approach using nutritional and physiological tests, reactions to antibiotics, fatty acid profiles, DNA base ratios, DNA-DNA reassociation and 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons showed that the two isolates belong to a novel species within the genus Phyllobacterium. The species Phyllobacterium catacumbae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CSC19T (=CECT 5680T=LMG 22520T).V. J. and L. L. received fellowships from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (MEC), I3P programme and J. M. G. is supported by an MEC contract from the ‘Ramón y Cajal’ program. This study was supported by EC project EVK4-CT2000-00028 and MEC project BTE2002-04492-C02-01.Peer Reviewe

Decay of building materials in the Circular Mausoleum Necopolis of Carmona, Spain

1 page. Benavente, David et al.-- Comunicación presentada al International Congress on Science and Technology for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage Santiago de Compostela, Spain, 2-5 October 2012.Peer reviewe

Deterioration of an Etruscan tomb by bacteria from the order Rhizobiales

7 páginas, 4 figuras, 29 referencias.The Etruscan civilisation originated in the Villanovan Iron Age in the ninth century BC and was absorbed by Rome in the first century BC. Etruscan tombs, many of which are subterranean, are one of the best representations of this culture. The principal importance of these tombs, however, lies in the wall paintings and in the tradition of rich burial, which was unique in the Mediterranean Basin, with the exception of Egypt. Relatively little information is available concerning the biodeterioration of Etruscan tombs, which is caused by a colonisation that covers the paintings with white, circular to irregular aggregates of bacteria or biofilms that tend to connect each other. Thus, these colonisations sometimes cover extensive surfaces. Here we show that the colonisation of paintings in Tomba del Colle is primarily due to bacteria of the order Rhizobiales (Alphaproteobacteria), which were likely influenced by the neighbouring rhizosphere community and the availability of nutrients from root exudates.This work was funded through the projects CGL2010-17183, 201030E011 and Consolider 2007-00058. M.D.H. was supported by a JAE Research Fellowship from CSIC, and S.C. was supported by a Juan de la Cierva contract.Peer reviewe

Holistic Approach to the Restoration of a Vandalized Monument: The Cross of the Inquisition, Seville City Hall, Spain

The Cross of the Inquisition, sculpted in 1903 and raised on a column with a fluted shaft and ornamented with vegetable garlands, is located in a corner of the Plateresque façade of the Seville City Hall. The Cross was vandalized in September 2019 and the restoration concluded in September 2021. A geological and microbiological study was carried out in a few small fragments. The data are consistent with the exposure of the Cross of the Inquisition to an urban environment for more than 100 years. During that time, a lichen community colonized the Cross and the nearby City Hall façades. The lichens, bryophytes and fungi colonizing the limestone surface composed an urban community, regenerated from the remains of the original communities, after superficial cleaning of the limestone between 2008 and 2010. This biological activity was detrimental to the integrity of the limestone, as showed by the pitting and channels, which evidence the lytic activity of organisms on the stone surface. Stone consolidation was achieved with Estel 1000. Preventol RI80, a biocide able to penetrate the porous limestone and active against bacteria, fungi, lichens, and bryophytes, was applied in the restoration.The research was funded by Atelier Samthiago and the restoration of the Cross of the Inquisition was supported by the Seville City Hall