STUDIES ON FUNGAL ISOLATES INVOLVED IN BIODETERIORATION OF ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS OF THE GENERAL EGYPTIAN BOOK ORGANIZATION (GEBO)

Abstract

Microbiological contamination with fungi and bacteria can pose a signi ficant destroy to old manuscripts or health hazard to those working in archives or library. Among 520 selected old documents, 162 manuscript s (31.15%) macroscopically showed fungal growth or damage and number o f 75 documents (14.42%) were positive for presence of fungi but by cul ture fungal contamination revealed in 30 manuscripts (5.77%). Also, ab out 199 representative fungal isolates developed on PDA medium were is olated from old manuscripts samples. Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicil lium spp. were the main contaminating mould genera of all tested manus cripts and account over two third of contaminations. The fungal genera could be arranged on the basis of their frequent occurrence as follow s: Aspergillus (45.57%), Fusarium (33.1%), Penicillium (8.6%), Alterna ria (6.5%), Trichoderma (3.0%), Stymphylium (1.5%) and Nigrospora (0.5 %) of the total fungal count. The obtained data also showed that of th e 53 fungal isolates screened for cellulolytic activity on carboxy met hyl cellulose (CMC) only 31(58.49% ) had the ability to grow. Moreover , only 8 out off 31fungal isolates had a high ability to decompose cel lulose powder in Czepek's medium. The growth of A. flavus was complete ly inhibited (100% inhibition) at rhiozolex concentration of ≤ 200ppm and benlate concentration of ≤ 400ppm. While, the growth of A. niger w as also completely inhibited at rhizolex concentration of ≤ 400ppm and benlate at≤ 200ppm. The growth of F. oxysporum was completely inhibit ed by rhizolex at 1600ppm and benlate at ≤ 100ppm. On the other hand, fumigation with Para formaldehyde tablet for 9 days completely inhibit ed A. niger growth.