TY - JOUR
T1 - Synthetic consolidants attacked by melanin-producing fungi
T2 - Case study of the biodeterioration of Milan (Italy) cathedral marble treated with acrylics
AU - Cappitelli, Francesca
AU - Nosanchuk, Joshua D.
AU - Casadevall, Arturo
AU - Toniolo, Lucia
AU - Brusetti, Lorenzo
AU - Florio, Sofia
AU - Principi, Pamela
AU - Borin, Sara
AU - Sorlini, Claudia
PY - 2007/1
Y1 - 2007/1
N2 - Monuments and artistic stone surfaces are often consolidated and protected with synthetic polymers, in particular, acrylics. Although it is generally thought that acrylic polymers are resistant to biodeterioration, we report for the first time the systematic occurrence of dematiaceous meristematic fungi on many marble samples of the cathedral in Milan (Italy) previously treated with this material. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy applied to the Milan cathedral stone samples revealed characteristic features of biodeteriorated synthetic resins that differentiated them from the aged but nonbiodeteriorated samples. Samples showing biological colonization were analyzed for the presence of fungi. Cultivation and morphological characterization and methods independent from cultivation, such as denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis coupled with partial 18S rRNA gene sequencing and immunofluorescence staining with melanin-binding antibodies, showed that melanin-producing species are heavily present on stone surfaces protected with acrylic resins. This observation raises the question of the effectiveness of acrylics in protecting stone artworks.
AB - Monuments and artistic stone surfaces are often consolidated and protected with synthetic polymers, in particular, acrylics. Although it is generally thought that acrylic polymers are resistant to biodeterioration, we report for the first time the systematic occurrence of dematiaceous meristematic fungi on many marble samples of the cathedral in Milan (Italy) previously treated with this material. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy applied to the Milan cathedral stone samples revealed characteristic features of biodeteriorated synthetic resins that differentiated them from the aged but nonbiodeteriorated samples. Samples showing biological colonization were analyzed for the presence of fungi. Cultivation and morphological characterization and methods independent from cultivation, such as denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis coupled with partial 18S rRNA gene sequencing and immunofluorescence staining with melanin-binding antibodies, showed that melanin-producing species are heavily present on stone surfaces protected with acrylic resins. This observation raises the question of the effectiveness of acrylics in protecting stone artworks.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33846152322&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33846152322&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1128/AEM.02220-06
DO - 10.1128/AEM.02220-06
M3 - Article
C2 - 17071788
AN - SCOPUS:33846152322
SN - 0099-2240
VL - 73
SP - 271
EP - 277
JO - Applied and Environmental Microbiology
JF - Applied and Environmental Microbiology
IS - 1
ER -