Adsorption of Enteroviruses to Soil Cores and Their Subsequent Elution by Artificial Rainwater

Abstract

The adsorption and elution of a variety of human enteroviruses in a highly permeable, sandy soil was studied by using cores (43 by 125 mm) collected from an operating recharge basin on Long Island. Viruses studied included field and reference strains of polioviruses types 1 and 3 and reference strains of coxsackie virus B3 and echovirus types 1 and 6. Viruses suspended in treated sewage effluent were allowed to percolate through soil cores, and the filtrate was assayed for unadsorbed viruses. To determine the likelihood of desorption and mobilization, soil-bound viruses were subjected to a rinse with either treated sewage effluent or simulated rainwater which reflected the anion, cation, and pH characteristics of a typical northeastern United States rainfall. The results demonstrated that all polioviruses tested, including both reference and field strains, adsorbed extremely well to cores. Adsorption was somewhat reduced when clean, unconditioned soils were used. Soil-bound poliovirus strain LSc was not significantly mobilized by flooding columns with either a sewage effluent or rainwater rinse. One virus was mobilized by both types of rinses. The amount of viruses mobilized by rainwater rinses ranged from 24 to 66%. Variable adsorption-elution results were observed with other enteroviruses. Two guanidine-resistant mutants of poliovirus LSc demonstrated a soil adsorption-elution profile different from that of the parent strain. The data support the conclusion that soil adsorption-elution behavior is strain dependent and that poliovirus, particularly strain LSc, represents an inappropriate model.

Natural persistence of food- and waterborne viruses

“…( 1980 ) compared the interactions of different soil materials and two different virus types (poliovirus type 1 and reovirus type 3). The behaviour of both viruses was found to be similar, which is in contrast to the studies of Goyal and Gerba ( 1979 ) and Landry et al . ( 1979 ), who found that adsorption varies with virus type and even strain.…”

Pathogen Removal from Wastewater during Groundwater Recharge

“…For example, poliovirus 3 and echovirus 6 were mobilized by artificial rainwater, whereas echovirus 1 was not affected. The elution pattern of the reference strain of poliovirus 1 differed from that of field and mutant strains [9].…”

“…Viruses, on the other hand, are thought to be removed by the process of adsorption only [7]. Unfortunately, however, viruses cannot be considered as permanently immobilized because they have been shown to elute and migrate further in soil following rainfall events [8][9][10].…”

“…Adsorp tion efficiencies of ten different virus types and strains ranged from 0 percent for echovirus type 1, strain V239, and Coxsackie virus B4, strain V216, to 99.9 percent for echovirus type 7, Wallace strain, and poliovirus type 1, strain LSc. Landry et al [9] reported type and strain differences in enter ovirus adsorption to sandy soil cores. Vaccine strain poliovirus type 1 (LSc), a widely employed enterovirus model in soil and other environmental stud ies, was efficiently adsorbed but not readily eluted with either distilled water or sewage effluent.…”

Poliovirus retention in 75-cm soil cores after sewage and rainwater application

“…dry et al (12), attempting to determine the factors responsible for the migration of enteroviruses through Long Island soils, reported that the extent of virus adsorption and migration was dependent upon the specific strain of virus studied. Using soil cores (4.3 by 12.5 cm) collected from operating recharge basins, the authors observed that all poliovirus types tested, including both field and reference strains, adsorbed extremely well to soils.…”