ArticleEnvironmental microbiology reports2015
Amid the possible causes of a very famous foxing: molecular and microscopic insight into Leonardo da Vinci's self-portrait.
Article in Environmental microbiology reports, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 55 citations in OpenAlex.
- Metagenomic and microbiological analyses of historical manuscripts for bacterial community profiling and bacteria-related biodeterioration assessment.Microbial cell (Graz, Austria) · 2026Article
- Article
- Echoes of 1816: microbial footprints in heritage artifacts from Argentina's museum of independence.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Article
- Fungal biodeterioration and preservation of cultural heritage, artwork, and historical artifacts: extremophily and adaptation.Microbiology and molecular biology reviews : MMBR · 2024Review
- Fungal Biodeterioration and Preservation of Miniature Artworks.Journal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Da Vinci's yeast: Blastobotrys davincii f.a., sp. nov.Yeast (Chichester, England) · 2023Article
- Touching the (almost) untouchable: a minimally invasive workflow for microbiological and biomolecular analyses of cultural heritage objects.Frontiers in microbiology · 2023Article
- Biophysical Manipulation of the Extracellular Environment byPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- The Bad and the Good-Microorganisms in Cultural Heritage Environments-An Update on Biodeterioration and Biotreatment Approaches.Materials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Classification ofStudies in mycology · 2020Article
- The Microbiome of Leonardo da Vinci's Drawings: A Bio-Archive of Their History.Frontiers in microbiology · 2020Article
- Bacterial Diversity Evolution in Maya Plaster and Stone Following a Bio-Conservation Treatment.Frontiers in microbiology · 2020Article
- Wooden owl that redefines Earth's biosphere may yet catapult a fungus into space.Environmental microbiology · 2019Article
- Microbial diversity in biodeteriorated Greek historical documents dating back to the 19th and 20th century: A case study.MicrobiologyOpen · 2018Article
- Not stealing from the treasure chest (or just a bit): Analyses on plant derived writing supports and non-invasive DNA sampling.PloS one · 2018Article
- Article
- Aspergillus atacamensis and A. salisburgensis: two new halophilic species from hypersaline/arid habitats with a phialosimplex-like morphology.Extremophiles : life under extreme conditions · 2017Article
- Article
- Microbial communities affecting albumen photography heritage: a methodological survey.Scientific reports · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Leonardo da Vinci's self-portrait is affected by foxing spots. The portrait has no fungal or bacterial infections in place, but is contaminated with airborne spores and fungal material that could play a role in its disfigurement. The knowledge of the nature of the stains is of great concern because future conservation treatments should be derived from scientific investigations. The lack of reliable scientific data, due to the non-culturability of the microorganisms inhabiting the portrait, prompted the investigation of the drawing using non-invasive and micro-invasive sampling, in combination with scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging and molecular techniques. The fungus Eurotium halophilicum was found in foxing spots using SEM analyses. Oxalates of fungal origin were also documented. Both findings are consistent with the hypothesis that tonophilic fungi germinate on paper metabolizing organic acids, oligosaccharides and proteic compounds, which react chemically with the material at a low water activity, forming brown products and oxidative reactions resulting in foxing spots. Additionally, molecular techniques enabled a screening of the fungi inhabiting the portrait and showed differences when different sampling techniques were employed. Swabs samples showed a high abundance of lichenized Ascomycota, while the membrane filters showed a dominance of Acremonium sp. colonizing the drawing.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.