Microbial diversity of pre-Columbian archaeological textiles and the effect of silver nanoparticles misting disinfection

Abstract

Biodeterioration of archaeological materials contribute to significant economic losses and the destruction of invaluable pieces of cultural heritage. The study materials were 5 pre-Columbian fibres (1250–1450 A.D., Argentina). The microscopic analyses (SEM-EDS) showed that they were made of cotton, sisal and wool, as well as they were contaminated by mineral impurities and dust. So far, no research has been conducted on determining the effectiveness of disinfection with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) misting of historical textiles. The studies showed that the reduction of microorganism number was between 30.8–99.9%, which depended on the qualitative microbial contamination and its amount. Different AgNPs sensitivity of microorganisms was noted, with the least susceptible being endospore-forming bacteria Bacillus, more easily inhibited were bacterial genus Oceanobacillus, Kocuria, Paracoccus and moulds Cladosporium, Penicillium. AgNPs misting does not adversely influence the pH and chemistry textiles. The presented in this paper disinfection method with AgNPs misting can be used for disinfection of archaeological textiles made of wool, cotton and sisal, as an alternative to the currently available methods.