Ultrafiltration: an efficient second step for hepatitis A virus and poliovirus concentration

Area of Science:

• Environmental microbiology
• Virology
• Water quality analysis

Background:

• Accurate virus detection in water is crucial for public health.
• Molecular filtration is a common method for concentrating viruses from large water volumes.
• Optimizing recovery efficiency for different viruses is essential for reliable monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficiency of a molecular filtration system for recovering seeded hepatitis A virus (HAV) and poliovirus (PV).
• To evaluate the impact of inflow pressure and membrane pretreatment on virus recovery rates.
• To identify optimal conditions for maximizing virus recovery from water samples.

Main Methods:

• Experiments utilized a polysulfonate membrane with a 10,000 molecular weight limit.
• Seeded HAV and PV were introduced into 1 L of dechlorinated tap water or buffer solutions.
• Virus recovery was measured under varying inflow pressures and after membrane pretreatment with different buffers.

Main Results:

• Hepatitis A virus recovery reached 100% under standard conditions but decreased significantly with increased inflow pressure.
• Poliovirus recovery was initially low but improved substantially after membrane pretreatment.
• The highest poliovirus recovery was achieved using beef extract at neutral pH.

Conclusions:

• Molecular filtration efficiency for virus recovery is virus-specific and influenced by experimental conditions.
• Optimizing membrane pretreatment, such as using beef extract, can enhance the recovery of certain viruses like poliovirus.
• Inflow pressure is a critical factor affecting hepatitis A virus recovery during molecular filtration of water samples.