F I: t' SGMHeadquarterc MarlborouqhHouse. Articles Basingsto[eRoad, Spencers Thingsthat go rotin the night - Wood,Reading RG7 lAG Tel.01 18 988 1800 a reviewof biodeteriorationGlyn Morton 103 Fax01 189885656 [email protected] Everythingyou wanted to knowaboutthe dry-rot SGMWebsite fungusbutwere afraid to askJohnW Palfreyman http:./www.sgm.ac.uk &NiaA.White 107 Editor Lichens,agents of monumentaldestruction DrMerielJones MarkR.D.Seaward 110 EditorialBoard ProfessorDave Kelly Conservationof monu m ental stones bv bacterial ProfessorTonyNash biomineralizationBrunetla Perito &Giorgio Mastromei 1 13 ManagingEditor JanetHurst Sulfate-red uci n g bacteriain biofiI ms on metalIic Production Editor materialsand corrosion lwonaB. Beech 11 5 lanAtherton AssistantEditorand TheBiodeterioration Centre, University of Herbfordshire BookReviewManager RichardSmith 1 18 JaniceMeekings Pilzkrieg :the German warti me quest for penicil lin Gontributions Theseare always welcome and GilbertShama 120 shouldbe addressed tothe Editor AcuteRespi ratory rome(SARS) (c/o SGM Headquarters), Severe Synd FaveJones 124 CopyDates Lastdates for receipt of copy atMarlborouqh House are aeneratuopv Regular Featunes November2003 issue 1 Sept Februarv2004 issue 8 December MicroShorts 117&141 AOVerUSemen$ (LKl-.l November2003 issue 29 Sept SocietyNews February2004 issue1 9 January MayCouncilMeeting 126 Advertisements Above:Ascanning usuallycaused bysulfate- NewsofMembers 126 (SRB) Allenquiriesshould be sentto: electronmicrograph of the reducingbacteria and StaffNews 126 Domin ic Youn g, HardyAdvertisi n g, dry-rotfungus,Serpula lwonaBeech explains the GranvilleHouse, 112 Bermondsey AGM2003 126 lacrymans,indomestic chemical orocesses involved NewSGMPresident 126 Street,LondonSEl3TX plywood, Burgess/ I rc-r ro. Te|.0207378 1579 DrJeremy onpp, NewEducation Officer 127 PhotoLibrary Fax02O73786421 Science Turningback in time, on SGMPrizeand Lectures 127 emaildomin ic@hardyadvedising. co.uk Vol.3QPart3, pp,1 20-1 23 GilbertShama Microbiologytechniciansurvey results 127 Policyon Scientific Publication, and 128 Subscriptions 2OO3 August2fi)3 recounts the storvof the Security Censorship Germans'unsucaessful SGMMembers elected Fellows of the RoyalSociety 128 NON-MEMBERS Inthis issue we focus Mi c ro b i o I o g y TodayI 50.00 effortsto oroducebulk Grants 129 on biodeteriorationand (us$85.00) quantitiesof penicillinin SGMjournals:aretheyinyourlibrary? 129 biodegradation, Microbes MEMBERS WorldWar ll. All membersreceive Microbiology canbreak down a greatrange Meetings 130 Today.lnaddition they maytake of materialsand often their Found to becaused bv a SchoolZone tJ2 anyofthe Society's journals. actionis unwanted, unsightly coronavirus,SARS has oeen OrdinaryMember anduneconomic, Glvn Morion hitting the headlines for the Gradline 134 MembershipSubscriotion (inc.M i c r o b i o I o g y To d ay) reviewsthe differenitypes of past4months, On pp, 1 24- HotoffthePress 138 s43.00(us$74.00) deteriorationon pp,1 03-1 06, 125 FaveJoneschronicles Microbioloov/J GV/ lJSEM Biodeteriorationcan also theprogress of the outbreax, Reviews 142 s78.oo(u5$ 145.00) meanbusiness, as Richard whilstin Commenton o, 152 JMMs,40.O0(US$71.00) AddressBook 148 Smithdescribes on p. 1 1 8, DaveCavanagh points out Studentor RetiredMember 181 thatconsiderable exoertise Diary MembershipSubscription Theharmfuleffects of (inc. oncoronaviruses alreaov Mi c ro bi io I o g y Tod ay) microbeson buildings cause Comment c20.00(us$35.00) existsamongstthe veteiinary considerableproblems, Dry SARScoronavirus:incontextDaveCavanagh 152 Microbioloov/JGV communitvforSARS s3700(u5$70.00) rotof woodis the subieci of researchersto drawon. u sEMc7 8.oo (us$ 1 45,00) JohnPalfreyman and Nia JMMS.40.OO(US$71.00) White'sarticle on pp,1 07- Thesearticles appear in Other ltems Unde rg rad u ate or School M ember 109, whilst Mark Seaward additionto allthe regular MembershipSubscription (inc. SGMwebsitemakeoverJanetHurst 101 looksatthe wav lichens can featuresand reoorts of Microbiology Today) S 10.00 EducationColloouium 109 Corporate Member attackstonework, damaging Societvactivities. MembershipSubscription (inc. historicbuildings inthe SGM BasicPractical Microbiology Courses 112 M ic rob io I o g y Today)S500,00 process(pp,110-112), InternationalResearch Fellowship report N. Kalinina 136 US Officeof Publication: Conversely,bacteria have the ALPSP M ic ro b io Iogy Today, c/ o Mercu ry potentialto reversethe deaay MicrobiologyintheRegionsreporlRachelLegg 137 Airf reight International Ltd, 365 *,**f Brunella wlNN€R BlairRoad, Avenel, NJ07O0 1 , USA. of monuments,as lorNT Postmaster:send US address Peritoand Giorgio Mastromei '/ti. corrections to Mlcro b iol ogy Today describeon pp, 1 1 3-1 14, .\i nnj jr .),i.il ft, d:ii:p c./othis address, O 2003 The Societyfor General Theconosion of metalsin The views expressed by contributors are not necessarilythose of the Microbiology;ISSN : 1 464-0570 ananaerobic environment is Society; nor can the claims of advertisers be guaranteed. F rl' I Thingsthat-gorot in-thenight - a review of biodeteriorction GlynMorton Micro-organisms have a simple approach to beyondthe scopeof this articleto discussall the materials 'Putrefaction life; they use whatever is available as a food listed. Therefore, selected examples of microbial isthe End source, attach themselves to practically all biodeteriorationfamiliar to the authorwill bereviewed. surfaces,multiply and build up biomass.Everyone is Ofallthat nature famlliar with the phenomenon of rotting, the natural WTheroleof biofilms dothEntend' decayand recycling of materials by a wide nnge of Biofilms areanextremely important and integral part of life forms, including micro-organisms.This processis biodererioration. Herrick termed biodegradationand it is perceivedas a beneficial The removal ofthose biofilms which may be unsightly or positive process.Biodeterioration may be defined or considered to be ahazard to health can be a costly and 'the as deteriorationof matetialsof economicimportance time-consuming business. Sfhen the colonization of by micro-organisms';it is perceivedas a deleteriousor the surface of any material occurs, the term biofilm is negativeprocess. Biodeterioration has been classified invariably used. At one time this term was coniined asfollows: to surfaces in constant contact with water, i.e. at the solid/liquid interface. The definition has now Mechanical biodeterioration.This occurs when the been extendedto any interface, material is damagedas a direct result of the physical i.e. airlsolid, liquid/liquid activity of anorganism,such as its movementorgrowth. and airlliquid, where An example of this kind of biodeterioration is the growth of micro-organisms damagecaused to electricalcabling asa resultof insector occurs.To a microbiologist rodentattack. a biofilm represenrs a Chemicalassimilatory biodeterioration" This is perhaps zonewhere the deleterious the most common form of biodeterioration.It occurs effects brought about when a materialis degradedfor its nutritional value.The by the presenceof micro- breakdownof cellulosic materialssuch aswallpaper by organisms and their cellulolytic fungi is an example. extracellular metabolites areconcentrated or focussed. Chemicaldissimilatory biodeterioration. This occurs Slime production, the when a material is damagedas a result of the production result of polymeric and releaseof metabolic products that may corrode, materials producbd by a pigment or toxify the material.The poisoningofgrain by wide variety of micro- mycotoxins,and the releaseof pigments into plastic organisms- bacteria,fungi films areexamples of this process. and algae - is associated Soiling. This visible form of biodeteriorationoccurs with biofilms. For many when the mefepresence of an organismor its excrements yearsworkers in industry rendersthe product unacceptable.The function of the have recognized the material may be impaired by the presenceof the problems causedby slimes organisms,as in the fouling of ships'hullsby barnacles that develop in process andalgae. machinery in storagetanks It is essentialto apprecratethat more than one of these and cooling towers and on processes,or indeedall of them may be occurring at the many surfacesin contact sametime. withliquids(Fig. 1). Materialsofeconomic importance known to besubject to biodeteriorationinclude: ffiExamples of the biodeteriorationof ABOVE(TOP): Storedagricultural Archival matedal materialsof economicimportance $$9.$. Bacterialslimefrom withinapipeline. products Pulppaper COURIESYJOHN GILLATI, THOR UK \Woodandallied Textilesand leather Wood LTD. constructionalmaterials Fuelsandlubricants The rotting of wood is probably the most well known Pharmaceuticals and Metals exampleof decaycaused by fungi. For practical purposes AB0Vr(B0rT0M): Paints the type of rot derives irs name $$9.X. A piece oftimber with from the appearance brownrot, Polymers, rubbers and Stone, concrete and and integrity of the attackedwood. Chemically,wood is COURTESYGMORION plastics buildings madeup mainly of celluloseand lignin. \Whenboth of Glass Adhesivesand sealants thesecomponents afe consumedby a fungus, the wood 'white The list is extensive and it includes most of the becomeslighter in colour and the term rot' is industrial materials that readily come to mind. It is used.Some fungi consumemore cellulosethan lignin difficult to accept that some of these materials (glass, and the wood becomesbrown in colour,hence the term 'brown metal, stone) are susceptible to microbial attack. It is rot' (Fig. 2).