A role for microbial selection in frescoes' deterioration in Tomba degli Scudi in Tarquinia, Italy.

ABSTRACT: Mural paintings in the hypogeal environment of the Tomba degli Scudi in Tarquinia, Italy, show a quite dramatic condition: the plaster mortar lost his cohesion and a white layer coating is spread over almost all the wall surfaces. The aim of this research is to verify if the activity of microorganisms could be one of the main causes of deterioration and if the adopted countermeasures (conventional biocide treatments) are sufficient to stop it. A biocide treatment of the whole environment has been carried out before the conservative intervention and the tomb has been closed for one month. When the tomb was opened again, we sampled the microorganisms present on the frescoes and we identified four Bacillus species and one mould survived to the biocide treatment. These organisms are able to pr

SUBMITTER: Tomassetti MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5519700 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature