Identification of a Fungal Community on Gilded Wood Carved Heritage

Abstract

During restoration activities, a fungal reddish area was noted on a gilded wood carved ceiling decoration from a sacristy of a church in Aveiro, Portugal. The protocols used to identify the fungal community present in this wooden material included the classical culturing methods and a molecular biology protocol based on the ability of denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) to separate fungal DNA from several species. This last method complemented the results obtained with the traditional culturing method approach and the overall study revealed three fungal species: Serpula lacrymans (Wulfen) P. Karsten, Paecilomyces lilacinus (Thom) Samson and Penicillium chrysogenum Thom. This is, to the author's knowledge, the first documented case of S. lacrymans in Portuguese built cultural heritage. Despite the antifungal solution applied and the dryer environment recommended, the water activity (Aw) levels recorded on location are still dangerously high and may allow fungal regrowth. Periodic inspections were advised.