Microbial Assessment in A Rare Norwegian Book Collection: A One Health Approach to Cultural Heritage

Microbial contamination poses a threat to both the preservation of library and archival collections and the health of staff and users. This study investigated the microbial communities and potential health risks associated with the UNESCO-classified Norwegian Sea Trade Archive (NST Archive) collecti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Microorganisms
Main Authors: Sílvia O. Sequeira, Ekaterina Pasnak, Carla Viegas, Bianca Gomes, Marta Dias, Renata Cervantes, Pedro Pena, Magdalena Twarużek, Robert Kosicki, Susana Viegas, Liliana Aranha Caetano, Maria João Penetra, Inês Silva, Ana Teresa Caldeira, Catarina Pinheiro
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024
Subjects:
biodeterioration
cultural heritage
microbial contamination
One Health
conservation
Biology (General)
QH301-705.5
Norwegian Sea
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12061215
https://doaj.org/article/687fcf246492405b8bf5d4e8276ce7b2
Description
Summary:Microbial contamination poses a threat to both the preservation of library and archival collections and the health of staff and users. This study investigated the microbial communities and potential health risks associated with the UNESCO-classified Norwegian Sea Trade Archive (NST Archive) collection exhibiting visible microbial colonization and staff health concerns. Dust samples from book surfaces and the storage environment were analysed using culturing methods, qPCR, Next Generation Sequencing, and mycotoxin, cytotoxicity, and azole resistance assays. Penicillium sp., Aspergillus sp., and Cladosporium sp. were the most common fungi identified, with some potentially toxic species like Stachybotrys sp., Toxicladosporium sp., and Aspergillus section Fumigati. Fungal resistance to azoles was not detected. Only one mycotoxin, sterigmatocystin, was found in a heavily contaminated book. Dust extracts from books exhibited moderate to high cytotoxicity on human lung cells, suggesting a potential respiratory risk. The collection had higher contamination levels compared to the storage environment, likely due to improved storage conditions. Even though overall low contamination levels were obtained, these might be underestimated due to the presence of salt (from cod preservation) that could have interfered with the analyses. This study underlines the importance of monitoring microbial communities and implementing proper storage measures to safeguard cultural heritage and staff well-being.

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