An international research team led by Chief Assistant Professor Violeta Zhelyazkova of the National Museum of Natural History at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NMNH-BAS) has collected 56 sets of samples to investigate microbial contamination in the Gouffre Berger cave in the French Alps, the museum said.
During an expedition in August, the researchers reached the bottom of the cave at a depth of 1,258 metres.
Gouffre Berger is known as the first cave in the world where explorers reached a depth of more than 1,000 metres below the surface. The expedition took place as part of the international Berger Camp, which has brought together cavers and researchers from different countries for 15 years, according to the museum.
The expedition team included Dr Angel Ivanov, an associate researcher at NMNH-BAS; Veselin Zhelyazkov of the Burgas-NEPIAST Caving Club; Dr Julie Shapiro of France; Bogdana Vashchenko of Ukraine; and Deniz Duman of Turkiye. Another 35 volunteers from five countries participated in the project.
The 56 sets of samples are now being analysed at the National Museum of Natural History’s laboratory.
The expedition was conducted under the museum’s research project, Pathogenic Contamination in Caves – Causes and Prevention Methods, funded by Bulgaria’s National Science Fund and the French Institute in Bulgaria.
Researchers collected microbiological samples from cave substrates throughout Gouffre Berger, both along the main route used by numerous cavers each year and in side passages that are rarely visited.
Comparing the samples will allow the team to investigate differences between microbial communities in areas with frequent human activity and those with limited human presence.
Samples were also taken from volunteer cavers’ equipment before and after entering the cave. The analyses will help determine whether equipment introduces pathogenic microorganisms into the underground environment and how much of the cave’s microbial diversity is carried back to the surface.
The National Museum of Natural History at BAS is Bulgaria’s only national institution maintaining scientific collections representing both living and non-living nature from Bulgaria and around the world. Its research focuses on biodiversity, taxonomy and ecology, alongside promoting natural science through exhibitions and public lectures.
Bulgarian-Led Research Team Studies Microbial Contamination in Deep French Alps Cave THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-24 14:24:00
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