Demonstration of solids-associated virus in wastewater and sludge

Abstract

Data presented demonstrate the relatively high multiplicity of solids-associated virus in field samples, i.e., wastewater, sludge, and soils. Influent, effluent, and chlorinated effluent samples showed 16.1 to 100% of the total virus demonstrated in samples to be solids associated. Three techniques for freeing solidsassociated virus are described and compared. Using sonication of solids and polyethylene glycol concentration, virus was demonstrated in fully digested sludge (60 days at 34 C), sand at the site of a sewer leak, and dried sludge cake and mud 900 m downstream from a sewage disposal site. These data emphasize the inadequacy of virus concentration techniques that do not include the processing of solids. In situ elution failed to free solids-associated virus.

Survivability, Partitioning, and Recovery of Enveloped Viruses in Untreated Municipal Wastewater

“…Despite the poor sorption of nonenveloped enteric viruses to wastewater solids, some enteric viruses have been observed in primary settled solids in high concentrations. 36,53 In such cases, the viruses were likely released into wastewater within or strongly associated with fecal solids and never reached equilibrium between the liquid and solid fractions. When excreted in watery diarrhea or urine, the viruses would more likely reach equilibrium.…”

Comparative stability of two salmonid viruses and poliovirus in fresh, estuarine and marine waters

“…Various factors have been reported to infiuence virus survival in aquatic environments. These include temperature (Lo, Gilbert & Hetrick 1976) (Gerba & Schaiberger 1975;Wellings, Lewis & Mountain 1976). That the results obtained from these studies are often variable, and sometimes conflicting, has been attributed to differenees in experimental conditions or water samples employed since many of the above faetors must eontinually change in natural waters.…”

Chapter 9 The Detection of Waterborne Viruses

“…Many other methods exist, though none satisfies all the requirements given above by Block and Schwartzbrod (1989). These include hydroextraction with hygroscopic solids (Wellings et al, 1976;Ramia and Sattar, 1979), iron oxide flocculation (Rao et al, 1968;Bitton et al, 1976), two-phase separation (Lund and Hedstrom, 1966) and freeze-drying (Bosch et al, 1988;Kittigul et al, 2001).…”