Development of Methods for Protecting Mammoth Tusks from Biocontamination

The results of studies of the effectiveness of various methods of protecting mammoth tusks from microbiological contamination under long-term storage conditions are presented. When analyzing swabs taken from the surfaces of mammoth tusk samples before exposure, the landscape of isolated microorganisms was dominated by bacteria of the genera Bacillus, Chryseobacterium, and Enterobacter with biocontamination of bone tissue caused mainly by microorganisms from the external environment (air, anthropogenic impact, etc.). Of the proposed options for protection against biocontamination, the method that showed the greatest effectiveness was the treatment of mammoth tusks with a hydrophobic-biocide composition, followed by mechanical isolation in plastic film. When using this method of protection, the total contamination of mammoth tusk samples after six months of exposure in various conditions decreased by 4–5 times.