Mycobial Deterioration of Stone Monuments of Dharmarajika, Taxila

The microbial decay of stone monuments in many tropical countries has become a serious threat for their future existence. Present investigation was conducted to evaluate the status of mycobial decay of stone monuments of Dharmarajika. A total of nineteen fungal species belonging to thirteen genera were isolated from colored stains, patinas and biofilms produced on the surfaces of monuments due to mechanism of biodeterioration. The fungal species Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium herbarum, Curvularia lunata, Dematium spp., Fusarium oxysporum, Mucor hiemalis, Penicillium chrysogenum, Penicillium frequentans and Rhizopus oryzae were prevalent. Some variations in the occurrence of fungal species were also recorded. The isolated fungal species were also analyzed for their organic acids production to understand the corrosive effects of their metabolic secretions on stone materials.

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