[Nhcoll-l] Moldy mammal specimens

Thu Jul 4 19:37:00 EDT 2024

Thanks all for this very interesting conversation, and for all the thoughts and resources people have put forward.

I’ve done some recent reading on the topic (we have a lot of material to treat for mould spore exposure before we bring it in to a new clean facility), and have consequently been under the impression that the current view, at least in conservation circles, is that alcohol probably doesn’t actually work on mould spores (I think that would be along the lines Joachim’s comment about not using too strong a dilution of EtOH), and that instead a simple wash with mild dish detergent or vacuuming with a HEPA filter (for permeable surfaces) to remove spores is preferred.  Here is one recent reference I’m thinking about: https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/conservation-preservation-publications/technical-bulletins/mould-prevention-collection-recovery.html. I was actually quite surprised by this because it’s contrary to all my training/understanding in how to treat problems with mould. I would really be very interested to know what other people think about this.

Cheers,

Tonya

From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> On Behalf Of Joachim Händel
Sent: Thursday, July 4, 2024 2:52 PM
To: simmons.johne at gmail.com; bmhess at umich.edu
Cc: jessica.light at ag.tamu.edu; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Moldy mammal specimens

No, more is not better here!

70% ethanol is a fungicide that has a membrane-active effect on the cell wall. The 30% water  transports the alcohol into the cytoplasm. The proteins in the membrane of the mould fungi and spores are denatured and the cell is prevented from carrying out vital metabolic processes, which kills the fungi and often even the spores.
In the case of alcohol with a higher concentration, this transport does not take place or only to a limited extent. Growth is merely inhibited. The spores of the fungi are not destroyed by this application. In addition, alcohol in high concentrations can cause shrinkage.

There is an excellent paper on this topic about mould on papers - see attachment  (sorry, only in German).

I am also enclosing an interesting publication on your topic from the journal "Copeia".

Ben wrote that you should check the humidity conditions at the location of the cabinet. This is important. It is often sufficient for a better microclimate to move the cabinets 1...2 centimetres away from the wall and, if possible, place them on feet so that the entire cabinet is ventilated and no damp patches form.

Good luck!
Joachim

--
Joachim Haendel

Center of Natural Science Collections
of the Martin Luther University (ZNS)
- Entomological Collection -

Domplatz 4
D-06099 Halle (Saale)
Germany

Phone:  +49 345 - 55 26 447
Email: joachim.haendel at zns.uni-halle.de<mailto:joachim.haendel at zns.uni-halle.de>

>>> John E Simmons <simmons.johne at gmail.com<mailto:simmons.johne at gmail.com>> 04.07.2024, 05:00 >>>
Ben's advice is good, but you might want to consider using full-strength ethanol (95.6%) rather than 70%. At 70%, ethanol is a good biocide, but the advantage to full-strenth is that it evaporates faster and therefore is less likely to affect the specimen or be absorbed deeply into the specimen. I also recommend cleaning the specimens by rolling a cotton swab (Q-tip) over the mold rather than brushing.

--John

John E. Simmons
Writer and Museum Consultant
Museologica
and
Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia
Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima

On Wed, Jul 3, 2024 at 5:42 PM Benjamin Hess <bmhess at umich.edu<mailto:bmhess at umich.edu>> wrote:
Jessica,

I treated an entire cabinet with mammal specimens, which included several bats. I am listing our process steps below. If you have any questions, please let me know. I am happy to share more specific details.

  *   Isolate the cabinet out of the collection (if possible). We moved ours to our preparation lab.
  *   Remove moldy specimens from the cabinet and place inside a fume hood.
  *   Discard any archival trays that may hold mold spores. Place in a sealed trash bag.
  *   Use 70% ethanol to wipe all surfaces of the cabinet including seal. If possible, you can spray the cabinet with 70% ethanol. Use HEPA vacuum after each treatment. Repeat 2-3 times depending upon mold severity.
  *   If this is an older cabinet, consider improving the seal.
  *   Check the temperature and humidity conditions of the cabinet location. We discovered an airflow issue and resealed a collection door that contributed to the issue.
  *   Specimens:

     *   Under the fume hood, use 70% ethanol and a small brush like a toothbrush (soft brush or Q-tip for bat membrane) to coat all surfaces of specimens with mold. Use new ethanol frequently based upon mold coverage.
     *   Leave specimens in the fume hood until dry.
     *   With a dry brush, brush specimens toward HEPA vacuum with screen over tip to prevent unwanted vacuuming (e.g., specimen tags).
     *   Depending upon the severity of mold, repeat 2-3 times.
     *   Once complete, dry specimens under fume hood with a drying method for specimen preparation including compressed air and additional drying "dust" for skins.
     *   No paper material beyond specimen labels should be retained.
Sincerely,

Ben

Benjamin M. Hess | EEB Museums Registrar | EEB Museums Safety Representative to the RMC

University of Michigan | LSA Ecology & Evolutionary Biology | Research Museums Center

3600 Varsity Drive, Ann Arbor MI 48108-2228

bmhess at umich.edu<mailto:bmhess at umich.edu> | 734-764-2432

On Wed, Jul 3, 2024 at 2:56 PM Jessica E. Light <jessica.light at ag.tamu.edu<mailto:jessica.light at ag.tamu.edu>> wrote:

Hi everyone,

Anyone have any advice for the best treatment for mold on preserved skins (small mammals, primarily bats, mostly on exposed wing and tail membranes and ear/face tissue) and skeletal elements (mainly skulls)? I'm looking for advice for treating the specimens themselves as well as the cases in which the specimens are stored.

Thank you in advance for your help!
Jessica

--

Dr. Jessica E. Light (she/her/hers)

Professor and Curator of Mammals

Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology

Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections

Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843

https://lightjessica.weebly.com
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