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Laboratory study of fungal bioreceptivity of different fractions of composite flooring tiles showing efflorescence

  • Environmental biotechnology
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Abstract

Fungi can grow in extreme habitats, such as natural stone and mineral building materials, sometimes causing deterioration. Efflorescence—concentrated salt deposits—results from water movement through building material; it can damage masonry materials and other bricks. Fungal isolate KUR1, capable of growth on, and dissolution of stone chips composing terrazzo-type floor tiles, was isolated from such tiles showing fiber-like crystalline efflorescence. The isolate’s ribosomal DNA sequences were 100 % identical to those of Nigrospora sphaerica. The ability of KUR1 to colonize and degrade the different stone chips composing the tiles was studied in axenic culture experiments. When exposed to each of the different mineral chip types composed of dolomite, calcite, or calcite–apatite mineral in low-nutrition medium, the fungus showed selective nutrient consumption, and different growth and stone mineral dissolution rates. Micromorphological examination of the fungus-colonized chips by electron microscopy showed the production of a fungal biofilm with thin films around the hyphae on the surface of the examined chips and disintegration of the calcite–apatite fraction. More than 70 % dissolution of the introduced powdered (<1 mm particle size) mineral was obtained within 10 days of incubation for the soft calcite–apatite fraction.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Amir Sandler at The Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem, for the XRD analysis of the stone and Jan Dijksterhuis from CBS for assisting in the fungal identification.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Applied Mycology and Microbiology Lab, MIGAL, P.O. Box 831, Kiryat Shmona, 11016, Israel

    Segula Masaphy, Ido Lavi & Limor Zabari

  2. Tel Hai College, Upper Galilee, 12210, Israel

    Segula Masaphy & Ido Lavi

  3. Institute of Soil Science, Leibniz University Hannover, D-30419, Hannover, Germany

    Stephan Sultz

Authors
  1. Segula Masaphy
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  2. Ido Lavi
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  3. Stephan Sultz
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  4. Limor Zabari
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Correspondence to Segula Masaphy.

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Masaphy, S., Lavi, I., Sultz, S. et al. Laboratory study of fungal bioreceptivity of different fractions of composite flooring tiles showing efflorescence. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 98, 5251–5260 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-5628-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-5628-4

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