Inactivation of viruses and bacteria by ozone, with and without sonication

Selected organisms with public health significance were placed in a reaction chamber for treatment by ozonation, by ozonation and sonication, by sonication, or by sonication during oxygenation. Vesicular stomatitis virus, encephalomyocarditis virus, GDVII virus, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Salmonella typhimurium, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae, and Shigella flexneri were inactivated by treatment with ozone. When microorganisms were suspended in phosphate-buffered saline, they were inactivated rapidly by treatment with ozone. However, microorganisms suspended in secondary effluent from a wastewater treatment plant required longer contact times with ozone for complete inactivation. Simultaneous treatments by ozonation and sonication reduced the contact time for complete inactivation of microorganisms in secondary effluent. Treatment by sonication alone or sonication and oxygenation did not inactivate microorganisms. Therefore, the simultaneous treatment of microorganisms in secondary effluent with ozone and sonication resulted in a synergistic effect.