Rotavirus concentration from raw water using positively charged filters

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Virology
• Water Quality

Background:

• Human rotavirus is a significant cause of gastroenteritis.
• Effective concentration methods are crucial for detecting low levels of rotavirus in environmental samples.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of positively charged (PC) Zeta Plus (30 S) filters and talc-Celite (TC) layers for concentrating human rotavirus from raw water.
• To compare the performance of PC filters and TC layers in terms of virus recovery and sample processing.

Main Methods:

• Raw water samples were seeded with human rotavirus (strain Wa).
• Virus concentration was performed using TC layers (with preconditioning) and PC filters (without preconditioning).
• Virus recovery was assessed using different eluents, and detection was confirmed via cell culture and immunoperoxidase staining.

Main Results:

• PC filters required no sample preconditioning and showed no virus loss in filtrates.
• Virus recovery from PC filters was 44-46% with single eluents and approximately 70% with sequential eluents.
• TC layers yielded 48% virus recovery after preconditioning, with a 6% loss in filtrate.

Conclusions:

• Positively charged Zeta Plus filters demonstrate superior performance for concentrating human rotavirus from raw water compared to talc-Celite layers.
• PC filters offer a more efficient and less labor-intensive method for environmental rotavirus surveillance.