Factors Influencing the Fungal Diversity on Audio–Visual Materials

Abstract

The biodeterioration of audio–visual materials is a huge problem, as it can cause incalculable losses. To preserve these cultural heritage objects for future generations, it is necessary to determine the main agents of biodeterioration. This study focuses on identifying fungi, both from the air and smears from photographs and cinematographic films that differ in the type of carrier and binder, using high-throughput sequencing approaches. The alpha diversity measures of communities present on all types of carriers were compared, and a significant difference between cellulose acetate and baryta paper was observed. Next, the locality, type of carrier, and audio–visual material seem to affect the structure of fungal communities. Additionally, a link between the occurrence of the most abundant classes and species on audio–visual materials and air contamination in the archives was proven. In both cases, the most abundant classes were Agariomycetes, Dothideomycetes, and Eurotiomycetes, and approximately half of the 50 most abundant species detected on the audio–visual materials and in the air were identical.

Microbial Contamination of Photographic and Cinematographic Materials in Archival Funds in the Czech Republic

“…A ubiquitous distribution may indicate that air is the main source for their contamination, being able to penetrate all materials, and the level of their contamination corresponding to their concentration in the air. In another study, Branysova et al [41] analysed the fungal contamination of samples and air in four tested archives (C, D1, D2, E and F) using culture-independent methods (Illumina sequencing of DNA extracted from swab and air samples). The results obtained in our study using cultivation methods are comparable with the results obtained by Branysova et al [41] using culture-independent methods, as the genera Alternaria, Aspergillus (in sequencing methods including the genus Eurotium as its teleomorph), Cladosporium and Penicillium were the most frequently detected in swab samples but were additionally also frequently detected in air samples.…”

Distribution and diversity of the fungal pollution in repositories of the provincial historical archive of Villa Clara, Cuba

“…Many of these species were previously isolated from documents preserved in NARC 34,76 and in other countries. [78][79][80] Table 4 Fungal concentrations detected from the analyzed documents surface Species similarity in the four studied niches (IA: indoor air, OA: outdoor air, CD: collected dust, DS: documents surface)…”

Bacterial Diversity on Historical Audio-Visual Materials and in the Atmosphere of Czech Depositories

“…1 ) ( 4 ). In addition to chromatic alterations, physical damage or even the total decomposition of the material may occur, mainly by microorganisms producing enzymes such as lipases, catalases, proteases, cellulases, or ligninases ( 5 ). Due to their higher moisture requirements, bacteria have a limited impact on the biodeterioration process of audio-visual materials compared to fungi ( 4 ).…”

“…If we review existing studies focused on the contamination of audio-visual materials, at least half of them only address the identification of microscopic fungi. Some recent examples include studies by Borrego et al ( 9 ), Branysova et al ( 10 ), and Kwiatkowska et al ( 11 ). Other studies looked at the identification of both domains, including Puskarova et al ( 12 ), Sclocchi et al ( 7 ), and Szulc et al ( 6 ).…”

“…For this purpose, we collected samples from four different archives in the Czech Republic. Our hypotheses were based on our previous publication that focused on monitoring fungi in archives in the Czech Republic ( 10 ). We postulated that the factor locality (indoor environmental conditions, including air contamination) would be the primary determinant of bacterial community composition and the key driver of variation in the data set.…”