Detection of virus in water: sensitivity of the tentative standard method for drinking water

Abstract

The sensitivity of several microporous virus-adsorbent media for reliably detecting low levels of poliovirus from 380 and 1,900 liters of drinking water by use of the tentative standard method was investigated. The virus-adsorbent media tested were (i) nitrocellulose membrane filters, (ii) epoxy-fiber glass-asbestos filters, (iii) yarn-wound fiber glass depth filters, and (iv) epoxy-fiber glass filter tubes. Virus was adsorbed to the filter media at pH 3.5 and eluted with glycine buffer, pH 11.5. The results from 44 samples demonstrated that poliovirus was detected with a 95% reliability at mean virus input levels of 3 to 7 plaque-forming units/380 liters when 1,900 liters of water was sampled. At mean virus input levels of less than 1 to 2 plaque-forming units/380 liters, the detection reliability was 66% in 76 samples when 1,900 liters of water was sampled. No significant difference in virus detection sensitivity was observed among the various virus adsorbent media tested. Overall virus recovery efficiency ranged from 28 to 42%, with a grand average of 35%. Members of the coxsackievirus groups A and B, echovirus, and adenovirus were also detected when 380 and 1,900 liters of water were sampled. These experimental observations attest to the sensitivity of the tentative standard method for detecting low levels of virus in large volumes of drinking water.

Round robin investigation of methods for the recovery of poliovirus from drinking water

“…In 1972 Wallis, Melnick, and their colleagues introduced the virus adsorption-elution (Viradel) method for concentrating low levels of virus from water (25, 26), and the method has been widely used since then (6,8,9,(11)(12)(13)(14)24). A modification of this procedure was introduced as a tentative method in the 14th edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater (1).…”

Hepatitis viruses and emerging viruses

“…The detection of viruses in drinking water has traditionally involved concentration from large volumes of water using charged filters (Hill et al, 1976). These methods used conventional cell culture methods to detect virus, and were thus hampered by a lack of sensitivity as well as the inability to detect non-culturable viruses.…”

Concentration of Bacteriophages from Natural Waters

“…In the last decade considerable anxiety has been caused by contamination of potable waters by animal viruses and this has led to the development of methods for detecting small numbers of viruses in large volumes of drinking water. With few exceptions these methods have been specifically designed to detect acid-resistant enteroviruses, usually poliovirus, and generally use adsorption to various filters at pH 3-0-3-5 followed by elution of the viruses in a small volume of buffer-pH 10-5-1 1.5 (Wallis, Henderson & Melnick 1972;Sobsey et al 1973; Hill et al 1974; Jakubowski et al 1974;Jakubowski et al 1975;Farrah et al 1976; Hill et al 1976; Katzenelson et al 1976; Farrah et a2. 19776).…”