How Fungi Damage Surfaces

Biodeterioration is the unwanted damage of materials caused by microorganisms, especially fungi. It can affect organic materials such as paper, wood, and textiles, as well as inorganic materials such as stone, plaster, and glass. Unlike simple nonliving decay, this damage comes from biological activity that causes both physi...

Biodeterioration is the undesirable alteration of materials—such as ancient papers, wood, stone, and bone—caused by biological activity by microbes, especially fungi.

Fungal biodeterioration involves both physical and chemical mechanisms.

Physically, fungal hyphae penetrate and colonize the substrate material, causing biopitting, cra...