Microbial fingerprints reveal interaction between museum objects, curators, and visitors

Simon, Lukas M.; Flocco, Cecilia; Burkart, Franziska; Methner, Anika; Henke, David; Rauer, Luise; Müller, Christian L.; Vogel, Johannes; Quaisser, Christiane; Overmann, Jörg; Simon, Stefan

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.107578

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…The analysis confirmed the presence of species that had not been previously detected in biodeteriorated paper substrates. These species may have originated from contamination during the manufacturing process of the paper substrates 3 or from subsequent handling 75 . Several parasitic fungi that infect plants have been identified, including Parastagonospora nodorum (#1), Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (#1), Zymoseptoria tritici (#1), Pyricularia oryzae (#1, #3), Blumeria hordei (#2, #4) and Eremothecium gossypii (#4).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fungal and bacterial species richness in biodeteriorated seventeenth century Venetian manuscripts

Stratigaki,

Armirotti,

Ottonello

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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Historical paper documents are susceptible to complex degradation processes, including biodeterioration, which can progressively compromise their aesthetic and structural integrity. This study analyses seventeenth century handwritten historical letters stored at the Correr Museum Library in Venice, Italy, exhibiting pronounced signs of biodeterioration. The techniques used encompassed traditional colony isolation on agar plates and proteomics analyses, employing nanoscale liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (nano-LC–MS). Fluorescence microscopy was used for the first time in the historical paper biodeterioration context to supplement the conventional stereoscopic, optical, and scanning electron microscopic imaging techniques. This method enables the visualisation of microorganisms beyond and beneath the paper’s surface through their natural intrinsic autofluorescence in a non-invasive and non-destructive way. The results demonstrate a diverse, complex, and abundant microbiota composed of coexisting fungal and bacterial species (Ascomycota, Mucoromycota, Basidiomycota, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria), along with mite carcasses, insects, parasites, and possibly protists. Furthermore, this study reveals certain species that were not previously documented in the biodeterioration of historical paper, including human pathogens, such as Histoplasma capsulatum, Brucella, Candida albicans, and species of Aspergillus (A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. oryzae, A. terreus, A. niger) known to cause infections or produce mycotoxins, posing substantial risk to both artefacts and humans.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fungal and bacterial species richness in biodeteriorated seventeenth century Venetian manuscripts

Stratigaki,

Armirotti,

Ottonello

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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“…In addition, they can also provide important clues about interactions of the relics with human interactions [59]. As such, they can provide important information in fields such as biocodicology, archeology, criminology but also in human contamination from handling [20,21,[60][61][62]. While an emerging topic, attempts to apply the Oxford Nanopore ® sequencer for the identification of the microbiome and animal ancient DNA (aDNA) from a 15th-century parchment from the Graphic Collection (Kupferstichkabinett) of the Academy of Fine Arts, in Vienna [60], have also been conducted.…”

Section: Cultural Heritage Object Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Future Perspectives on the Application of the Oxford Nanopore® MinION™ Sequencer in Cultural Heritage Biodeterioration Studies

Trovão,

Soares

2024

Preprint

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The present work provides an updated overview of the application of the Oxford Nanopore® MinION™ sequencer in cultural heritage biodeterioration studies, while also providing a holistic discussion of possible future perspectives for their utilization in this research field. Due to the peculiar characteristics of this device, the last few years have seen the steady rise on the application of this system in a variety of cultural heritage materials, having been useful to understand microbial biodeteriogens diversity and some of their metabolic and biodeteriogenic features. Considering the immense potential for application of this system, this manuscript discusses further possibilities of the technique aiming to help understand critical questions on the cultural heritage biodeterioration area. Its application in various differential contexts, has opened the doors for their putative usage on other interesting sub-areas of research worthy of future investigations, including: biodeteriogens genome and transcriptome analysis, metatranscriptomics, biodeteriorative metabolism studies, inter and intra kingdom interactions analysis, resistome profiling, object history and context studies, in situ applications, bioprospecting and biotechnology.

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“…These unique signatures can be potentially used in forensic studies for individual identification, trace evidence tracking in contact-related crime scenes and geographical localization [53,129,130]. Studies have demonstrated that remnants of human microbiota persist in the environments we inhabit and on the surfaces with which we come into contact [57,103,[131][132][133][134][135]. In a 2010 study, Fierer et al demonstrated that skin-associated bacteria, recoverable from surfaces such as individual computer keys and computer mice, exhibit community structures that enable the discrimination of objects handled by different individuals, even after remaining untouched for up to 2 weeks [57].…”

Section: The Discriminatory Power Of Forensic Microbiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a recent study, Simon et al examined the microbial composition of museum objects, demonstrating that microbial signatures can effectively track exposure to human touch and differentiate objects handled by distinct individuals. Additionally, their research revealed that human contact might overwrite the previous microbial profile of an object, making it difficult to accurately trace individuals based on the microbial signatures left on objects [135].…”

Section: The Discriminatory Power Of Forensic Microbiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Forensic Microbiology: When, Where and How

Nodari,

Arghittu,

Bailo

et al. 2024

Microorganisms

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Forensic microbiology is a relatively new discipline, born in part thanks to the development of advanced methodologies for the detection, identification and characterization of microorganisms, and also in relation to the growing impact of infectious diseases of iatrogenic origin. Indeed, the increased application of medical practices, such as transplants, which require immunosuppressive treatments, and the growing demand for prosthetic installations, associated with an increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance, have led to a rise in the number of infections of iatrogenic origin, which entails important medico-legal issues. On the other hand, the possibility of detecting minimal amounts of microorganisms, even in the form of residual traces (e.g., their nucleic acids), and of obtaining gene and genomic sequences at contained costs, has made it possible to ask new questions of whether cases of death or illness might have a microbiological origin, with the possibility of also tracing the origin of the microorganisms involved and reconstructing the chain of contagion. In addition to the more obvious applications, such as those mentioned above related to the origin of iatrogenic infections, or to possible cases of infections not properly diagnosed and treated, a less obvious application of forensic microbiology concerns its use in cases of violence or violent death, where the characterization of the microorganisms can contribute to the reconstruction of the case. Finally, paleomicrobiology, e.g., the reconstruction and characterization of microorganisms in historical or even archaeological remnants, can be considered as a sister discipline of forensic microbiology. In this article, we will review these different aspects and applications of forensic microbiology.

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Microbial fingerprints reveal interaction between museum objects, curators, and visitors

Cited by 4 publications

References 37 publications

Fungal and bacterial species richness in biodeteriorated seventeenth century Venetian manuscripts

Fungal and bacterial species richness in biodeteriorated seventeenth century Venetian manuscripts

Future Perspectives on the Application of the Oxford Nanopore® MinION™ Sequencer in Cultural Heritage Biodeterioration Studies

Forensic Microbiology: When, Where and How

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