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Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Discovery of New Intracellular Pathogens by Amoebal Coculture and Amoebal Enrichment Approaches
Published on: October 27, 2013
Bacteria and free-living amoeba in the Lascaux Cave
Fabiola Bastian1, Claude Alabouvette, Cesareo Saiz-Jimenez
1Université de Bourgogne, Microbiologie du Sol et de l'Environnement, BP 86510, 21065 Dijon Cedex, France.
Abstract:
The Lascaux Cave was discovered in 1940, and by 1960 it had received up to 1800 daily visitors. In 1963, the cave was closed and in 2001 it was invaded by a Fusarium solani species complex which was treated for four years with benzalkonium chloride. However, Lascaux Cave bacteria have only been poorly investigated. Here we show that the cave is now a reservoir of potential pathogenic bacteria and protozoa which can be found in outbreaks linked to air-conditioning systems and cooling towers in community hospitals and public buildings.
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