The effect of chlorination and hydrodynamic shear stress on the persistence of bacteriophages associated with drinking water biofilms

Enteric viruses and bacteriophages are exposed to various inactivating factors outside their host, and among them chlorine and heat are the most commonly used sanitizer in water industry and treatment in the food industry, respectively. Using MS2 phages as models for enteric viruses, we investigated the impact of free chlorine and heat on their physicochemical properties. Free chlorine was first evaluated alone. No increase in either capsid permeability or hydrophobicity was observed. The negative surface charge slightly increased suggesting molecular changes in the capsid. However, a weakening of the capsid by chlorine was suggested by differential scanning fluorimetry. This phenomenon was confirmed when chlorination was followed by a heat treatment. Indeed, an increase in the inactivation of MS2 phages and the permeability of their capsids to RNases was observed. More interestingly, an increase in the expression of hydrophobic domains at the phage surface was observed, but only for phages remaining infectious. The chlorine-caused weakening of the capsid suggested that, for an optimal use, the oxidant should be followed by heat. The increased permeability to RNases and the expression of hydrophobic domains may contribute to the development or improvement of molecular methods specific for infectious enteric viruses.

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The effect of chlorination and hydrodynamic shear stress on the persistence of bacteriophages associated with drinking water biofilms

Abstract: The differences observed between the three phages suggest that the location of the viral particles in the biofilm, which is related to their surface properties, affects the efficiency of chlorine disinfection.

Cited by 2 publications

References 33 publications

A review of research advances on disinfection strategies for biofilm control in drinking water distribution systems

A review of research advances on disinfection strategies for biofilm control in drinking water distribution systems

The impact of chlorine and heat on the infectivity and physicochemical properties of bacteriophage MS2

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