Viral contamination of some drinking waters in Romania: a twenty years survey

A synthesis is made on the 20 years virological survey of the drinking water from some towns of Romania. The sampling of the water was made by the gauze-pad method. The virus concentration method by adsorption-elution with the yeast cells was applied concomitantly, at first with the PE60 method, then, during the last years, either with aluminum hydroxide or with the polymer PV methods, and the concentrates were inoculated both into suckling mice and into cell cultures. Various types of coxsackievirus A and B, poliovirus and adenovirus were detected. The proportions of positive samples varied between 0 and 25% annually, in diverse towns, the mean proportion being 2.1%. These proportions are relative low, although two concentrating and two detecting methods were applied concomitantly.