Colonising organisms as a biodegradation factor affecting historical wood materials at the former concentration camp of Auschwitz II - Birkenau

The former Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, which is under the care of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oswiecim, Poland, comprises historical edifices and objects commemorating the tragic events of the Second World War. These include wooden barracks as well as wooden elements of brick buildings doors, floors, bunks, door and window frames, and structural walls and beams which, when exposed to variable weather conditions, may undergo biodegradation. The aim of the present study was to determine the infestation of wooden surfaces infestation by various organisms and to identify the dominant species. The total bacteria counts on the wooden surfaces ranged 8-3.5 x 10(3) cfu 100 cm(-2), with Bacillus sp. being the dominant one, while the counts for fungi were in the range of 8-1.7 x 10(3) cfu 100 cm(-2), the main representatives being Cladosporium sp., Alternaria sp. and Penicillium sp. On the wooden parts of bunks and floorboards there were identified decay fungi such as Poria vaporaria and Serpula lacrymans. Cyanobacteria and algae of the Bacillariophyta and Chlorophyta groups, bryophytes Ceratodon sp. and Bryum sp., and lichens Lecanora sp., Lepraria sp. and Protoparmeliopsis sp. occurred mainly on the exterior of the doors of wooden barracks. Identification of the organisms will make it possible to select appropriate biocides and to protect the historical objects against the natural process of gradual biodegradation. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.