Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, 2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Laboratory of Technologies for Heritage Materials, Institute of Chemistry, University of Neuchâtel, 2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Microb Biotechnol. 2017 Sep;10(5):1145-1148. doi: 10.1111/1751-7915.12795. Epub 2017 Aug 3.
Microorganisms are the main engines of elemental cycling in this planet and therefore have a profound impact on both organic and mineral substrates. As such, past and present human-made structures and cultural heritage can be negatively affected by microbial activity. Processes such as bioweathering (rocks and minerals), biodeterioration (organic substrates) or biocorrosion (metals) participate to the degradation or structural damage of construction and heritage materials. This structural damage can cause major economic losses (e.g. replacement of cast-iron pipes in water distribution networks), and in the case of heritage materials, the entire loss of invaluable objects or monuments. Even though one can regard the influence of microbial activity on construction and heritage materials as negative, remarkably, the same metabolic pathways involved in degradation can be exploited to increase the stability of these materials.
微生物是地球元素循环的主要驱动力，因此对有机和矿物质基质都有深远的影响。因此，过去和现在的人造结构和文化遗产可能会受到微生物活动的负面影响。生物风化（岩石和矿物质）、生物降解（有机基质）或生物腐蚀（金属）等过程会导致建筑和遗产材料的降解或结构损坏。这种结构损坏可能会造成重大的经济损失（例如，更换供水中的铸铁管道），而对于文物材料，整个宝贵的物品或纪念碑都会损失殆尽。尽管人们可以将微生物活动对建筑和文物材料的影响视为负面的，但值得注意的是，降解过程中涉及的相同代谢途径也可以被利用来提高这些材料的稳定性。
