Occurrence of <i>Aspergillus niger</i> strains on polychrome cotton painting and their elimination by anoxic treatment.

Occurrence of <i>Aspergillus niger</i> strains on polychrome cotton painting and their elimination by anoxic treatment.

Can J Microbiol. 2020 Jun 04;:

Authors: Boniek D, Bonadio L, Damaceno Q, Santos AFB, Resende Stoianoff MA

Abstract
This study aimed to isolate and identify the population of filamentous fungi colonizing a cotton painting by a Brazilian private artwork collector, whose conservation status was compromised and showed signs of biodeterioration due to dirt accumulation and microbial metabolism. In addition, microbiological techniques such as cultivation dependent approach and molecular biology were used to identify microbial populations and to eliminate their metabolic action. For this, the non-destructive anoxic atmosphere technique was used, in which the microbial metabolism was affected by the absence of oxygen. The exposure of the artwork to an anoxic atmosphere was for 38 days, and only one fungal species, <i>Aspergillus niger</i>, was identified at twelve points sampled in the obverse and reverse of the artwork. These results showed that exposure to anoxic conditions was effective for the total elimination of isolated fungal strains as well as their spores. In conclusion, this study proved the unprecedented effectiveness of a non-destructive technique for artwork on textile colonized by black fungi species. Thus, this interdisciplinary work involving conservation, microbiology, and chemistry presents a tool to eliminate microorganisms while maintaining the integrity of artwork and safety of the restorer that can be applied prior to artwork restoration.

PMID: 32497439 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

Source: Industry