An extremely affordable virus concentration method based on adsorption-elution to glass wool and subsequent reconcentration through polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG) precipitation was optimized to recover not only non-enveloped viruses but also enveloped viruses. Hepatitis A virus (HAV) and transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) were employed as surrogates for naked and enveloped viruses, respectively, to set up the methodology. Initial experimentation in small-volume samples showed that both types of particles readily adsorbed to the positively charged glass wool but were poorly detached from it through standard elution with 0.05 M glycine with 3% of beef extract buffer, pH 9.5, with elution efficiencies of 7.2% and 2.6%, for HAV and TGEV, respectively. To improve the recovery of enveloped viruses, several modifications in the elution were assayed: increasing the elution pH, extending glass wool and eluent contact time, adding a detergent, or performing the elution by recirculation or under agitation. Considering practicability and performance, recircularization of the eluent at pH 11.0 for 20 min was the elution procedure of choice, with efficiencies of 25.7% and 18.8% for HAV and TGEV in 50 L of water. Additionally, employing 20% PEG instead of 10% for virus reconcentration improved recoveries up to 47% and 51%, respectively. The optimized procedure was applied to detect naturally occurring HAV and coronaviruses in surface water of Wadi Hanifa, Riyadh. HAV was detected in 38% of the samples, while one sample was positive for an alphacoronavirus. This cheap virus detection system enables the comprehensive surveillance of viruses present in water samples.

Quantification of human astrovirus genogroups A and B was undertaken with sewage and water samples, collected from the Greater Cairo area in Egypt from November 1998 to October 1999, by a competitive reverse transcription (RT)-PCR with an internal control. The number of RNA copies of genogroup A/liter in quantifiable samples ranged from 3.4 × 103 to 5.6 × 106 in raw sewage and from 3.4 × 103 to 1.1 × 104 in treated effluents, while the number of infectious units per liter in these samples as determined by cell culture RT-PCR (CC-RT-PCR U/liter) ranged from 3.3 × 101 to 3.3 × 103 in raw sewage and was 3.3 × 100 in treated effluents. On the other hand, the number of RNA copies/liter in quantifiable genogroup B samples ranged from 1.1 × 104 to 8.7 × 106 in raw sewage and from 1.1 × 103 to 6.2 × 105 in treated effluents, while the number of infectious units ranged from 3.3 × 101 to 3.3 × 105 CC-RT-PCR U/liter in raw sewage and from 3.3 × 101 to 3.3 × 102 CC-RT-PCR U/liter in treated effluents. These higher numbers of both RNA copies/liter and infectious particles of genogroup B may indicate the emergence of genogroup B in the area. Additionally, genogroup B astrovirus exhibited a higher resistance to removal treatments with regard to the number of RNA copies per ml. When the equipment for real-time approaches is unavailable, a competitive PCR or RT-PCR with an internal control may be employed for virus quantification in validations of the efficiency of virus removal treatments.

An extracellular lipase of a newly isolated strain ALA1 (SAL4) was purified from the optimized culture medium. The SAL4 specific activity determined at 60 °C and pH 12 by using olive oil emulsion or TC4, reached 7215 U/mg and 2484 U/mg, respectively. The 38 NH-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified enzyme starting with two extra amino acid residues (LK) was similar to known staphylococcal lipase sequences. This novel lipase maintained almost 100% and 75% of its full activity in a pH range of 4.0-12 after a 24 h incubation or after 0.5 h treatment at 70 °C, respectively. Interestingly, SAL4 displayed appreciable stability toward oxidizing agents, anionic and non-ionic surfactants in addition to its compatibility with several commercial detergents. Overall, these interesting characteristics make this new lipase promising for its application in detergent industry.

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Many venomous species, especially snakes, contain a variety of secreted phospholipases A2 that contribute to venom toxicity and prey digestion. We characterized a novel highly toxic phospholipase A2 of group II, WaPLA2-II, from the snake venom of Saudi Walterinnesia aegyptia (W. aegyptia). The enzyme was purified using a reverse phase C18 column. It is a monomeric protein with a molecular weight of approximately 14 kDa and an NH2-terminal amino acid sequence exhibiting similarity to the PLA2 group II enzymes. WaPLA2-II, which contains 2.5% (w/w) glycosylation, reached a maximal specific activity of 1250 U/mg at pH 9.5 and 55 °C in the presence of Ca2+ and bile salts. WaPLA2-II was also highly stable over a large pH and temperature range. A strong correlation between antimicrobial and indirect hemolytic activities of WaPLA2 was observed. Additionally, WaPLA2-II was found to be significantly cytotoxic only on cancerous cells. However, chemical modification with para-Bromophenacyl bromide (p-BPB) inhibited WaPLA2-II enzymatic activity without affecting its antitumor effect, suggesting the presence of a separate ‘pharmacological site’ in snake venom phospholipase A2 via its receptor binding affinity. This enzyme is a candidate for applications including the treatment of phospholipid-rich industrial effluents and for the food production industry. Furthermore, it may represent a new therapeutic lead molecule for treating cancer and microbial infections.