Bioaerosol in ambienti adibiti alla esposizione e alla conservazione di manufatti storico-artistici

Integrated methodologies were applied for the characterization of the airborne particulate inside three different sites with peculiar environmental parameters. The Saints Cave in Licodia Eubea (Catania, Sicily), a semi-confined environment, where biological airborne particulate is strongly influenced both by surrounding countryside and by continuous air flow. The Diocesan Historic Archive in Palermo, where important documentary funds (IX-XX sec.) are stored, characterized by an indoor-outdoor exchange related to its use. The Sibilla Antrum (Marsala, Trapani) a hypogeal environment, where airborne particulate can be introduced and moved by visitors or sometimes related to the presence of pest (synanthropic roditors). With the aim of characterizing microorganisms colonizing both the surfaces of works of art and the bioaerosol, a interdisciplinary approach optical and electron microscopy (SEM, CLSM), in vitro colture and molecular analysis, was applied. The results allowed us to define a suitable conservation protocol for the artifacts, and to evaluate and prevent the potential health risk for visitors and operators.