INIFTA   05425
INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES FISICO-QUIMICAS TEORICAS Y APLICADAS
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Fungi and bacteria in biodeterioration of archaeological fibers. Analysis with different microscopic techniques.
Autor/es:
GUIAMET PATRICIA; IGARETA ANA; BATTISTONI PATRICIA; GÓMEZ DE SARAVIA SANDRA
Revista:
REVISTA ARGENTINA DE MICROBIOLOGÃA
Editorial:
ASOCIACION ARGENTINA MICROBIOLOGIA
Referencias:
Lugar: Buenos Aires; Año: 2014 vol. 46 p. 376 - 377
ISSN:
0325-7541
Resumen:
Pre and post-Columbian archeological textiles from the
Southern Andean area, sheltered in Deposit 25 at La Plata
Museum (Fig. 1), were analyzed by Olympus BX51optical
microscopy (OM) (Fig. 2A and 3A), FEI Quanta 200 scanning
electron microscopy (SEM) (Figs. 2B and 3C) and Leica SP5
confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) (Fig. 3B) with
the aim of studying their biodeterioration3. For over
120 years, these textiles have provided information to
archeologists around the world, and it was through the
study of many pieces that we now know in detail
the characteristics of the material culture of the various
groups that inhabited the territory during the national
Holocene period. Textiles containing natural fi bers, and
cotton fabrics can present problems when exposed to
unfavorable external conditions. High humidity and
temperature and insuffi cient air circulation result in
enhanced growth of microorganisms, especially fungi2.
Uncontrolled fungi growth leads to the complete
deterioration of archeological fi bers. Microorganisms such
as fungi and bacteria (ie. Cladosporium sp. and Pseudomonas
sp.) (Fig. 3) cause the biodeterioration of cellulose, which
is the main component of natural fi bers such as fl ax and
cotton4. This leads to loss of strength of the natural fi bers,
causing odor emission, esthetic damage, the presence of
staining, discoloration (foxing) and fi nally loss of fi ber
structure5, and giving rise to signifi cant losses at economic
and cultural levels. Proper storage of textiles susceptible to
biodeterioration in special containers under conditions of
temperature and relative humidity suitable are effective
preventive measures to avoid undesirable results. Essential
oils and silver nanoparticles1, among others, can be used as
disinfectants for the surface of archeological fi bers,
historical objects and archival documents. It is essential
that all tasks and strategies used in the preservation of the
material be written and documented photographically, so
as to keep a record for regularly assessing changes of
microorganism activity leading to textile damage..