El Jaddaoui Islam, Denda Kayo, Ghazal Hassan, Bennett Joan W
Laboratory of Human Pathologies Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University Mohammed V, Rabat 10000, Morocco.
Genomic Center of Human Pathologies, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University Mohammed V, Rabat 10000, Morocco.
Biology (Basel). 2025 Jul 22;14(8):911. doi: 10.3390/biology14080911.
Molds readily grow on wet books, documents, and other library materials where they ruin them chemically, mechanically, and aesthetically. Poor maintenance of libraries, failures of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, roof leaks, and storm damage leading to flooding can all result in accelerated fungal growth. Moreover, when fungal spores are present at high concentrations in the air, they can be linked to severe respiratory conditions and possibly to other adverse health effects in humans. Climate change and the accompanying storms and floods are making the dual potential of fungi to biodegrade library holdings and harm human health more common. This essay is intended for microbiologists without much background in mycology who are called in to help librarians who are dealing with mold outbreaks in libraries. Our goal is to demystify aspects of fungal taxonomy, morphology, and nomenclature while also recommending guidelines for minimizing mold contamination in library collections.
霉菌很容易在潮湿的书籍、文件和其他图书馆资料上生长,它们会在化学、机械和美观方面对这些资料造成破坏。图书馆维护不善、供暖、通风和空调(HVAC)系统故障、屋顶漏水以及暴风雨造成的洪水泛滥,都可能导致真菌加速生长。此外,当空气中真菌孢子浓度很高时,它们可能与严重的呼吸道疾病有关,甚至可能对人类健康造成其他不良影响。气候变化以及随之而来的暴风雨和洪水,使得真菌对图书馆馆藏进行生物降解和危害人类健康的双重潜在影响变得更加普遍。本文是为那些没有太多真菌学背景、应图书馆员求助前来协助处理图书馆霉菌爆发问题的微生物学家而写的。我们的目标是揭开真菌分类学、形态学和命名法的神秘面纱,同时推荐一些指南,以尽量减少图书馆馆藏中的霉菌污染。