The influence of incubation time on adenovirus quantitation in A549 cells by most probable number

Searching for a Reliable Viral Indicator of Faecal Pollution in Aquatic Environments

The disposal of sewage in significant quantities poses a health hazard to aquatic ecosystems. These effluents can contain a wide range of pathogens, making faecal contamination a leading source of waterborne diseases around the world. Yet monitoring bacteria or viruses in aquatic environments is time consuming and expensive. The standard indicators of faecal pollution all have limitations, including difficulty in determining the source due to lack of host specificity, poor connection with the presence of non-bacterial pathogens, or low environmental persistence. Innovative monitoring techniques are sorely needed to provide more accurate and targeted solutions. Viruses are a promising alternative to faecal indicator bacteria for monitoring, as they are more persistent in ambient water, more abundant in faeces, and are extremely host-specific. Given the range of viruses found in diverse contexts, it is not easy to find one "ideal" viral indicator of faecal pollution; however, several are of interest. In parallel, the ongoing development of molecular techniques coupled with metagenomics and bioinformatics should enable improved ways to detect faecal contamination using viruses. This review examines the evolution of faecal contamination monitoring with the following aims (i) to identify the characteristics of the main viral indicators of faecal contamination, including human enteric viruses, bacteriophages, CRESS and plant viruses, (ii) to assess how these have been used to monitor water pollution in recent years, (iii) to evaluate the reliability of recent detection methods of such viruses, and (iv) to tentatively determine which viruses may be most effective as markers of faecal pollution.

Continuous inactivation of human adenoviruses in water by a novel g-C3N4/WO3/biochar memory photocatalyst under light-dark cycles

Viruses transmitted by water have raised considerable concerns for public health. A novel memory photocatalyst of g-C₃N₄/WO₃/biochar was successfully developed for effective inactivation of human adenoviruses (HAdVs) in water, in which WO₃ as an electron-storage reservoir and biochar as an electron shuttle is employed to synergistically improve photocatalytic activity of g-C₃N₄. The tertiary composite exhibited continuous photocatalytic performance for HAdVs inactivation without regrowth in water under light-dark cycles, i.e., ∼3.9-log inactivation under 6-h visible light irradiation and an additional ∼1.1-log inactivation under the following 6-h dark. The enhanced virucidal mechanism was attributed to the heterojunction formation and especially the electron-transfer pathway switching via biochar incorporation, contributing to electron transfer and storage in the light phase and then electron release in the dark phase, along with obviously increased generation of the virus-killing •OH radicals under light-dark cycles.

Decay of infectious adenovirus and coliphages in freshwater habitats is differentially affected by ambient sunlight and the presence of indigenous protozoa communities

BACKGROUND

Sanitary quality of recreational waters worldwide is assessed using fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), such as Escherichia coli and enterococci. However, fate and transport characteristics of FIB in aquatic habitats can differ from those of viral pathogens which have been identified as main etiologic agents of recreational waterborne illness. Coliphages (bacteriophages infecting E. coli) are an attractive alternative to FIB because of their many morphological and structural similarities to viral pathogens.

METHODS

In this in situ field study, we used a submersible aquatic mesocosm to compare decay characteristics of somatic and F+ coliphages to those of infectious human adenovirus 2 in a freshwater lake. In addition, we also evaluated the effect of ambient sunlight (and associated UV irradiation) and indigenous protozoan communities on decay of somatic and F+ coliphage, as well as infectious adenovirus.

RESULTS

Our results show that decay of coliphages and adenovirus was similar (p = 0.0794), indicating that both of these bacteriophage groups are adequate surrogates for decay of human adenoviruses. Overall, after 8 days the greatest log10 reductions were observed when viruses were exposed to a combination of biotic and abiotic factors (2.92 ± 0.39, 4.48 ± 0.38, 3.40 ± 0.19 for somatic coliphages, F+ coliphages and adenovirus, respectively). Both, indigenous protozoa and ambient sunlight, were important contributors to decay of all three viruses, although the magnitude of that effect differed over time and across viral targets.

CONCLUSIONS

While all viruses studied decayed significantly faster (p < 0.0001) when exposed to ambient sunlight, somatic coliphages were particularly susceptible to sunlight irradiation suggesting a potentially different mechanism of UV damage compared to F+ coliphages and adenoviruses. Presence of indigenous protozoan communities was also a significant contributor (p value range: 0.0016 to < 0.0001) to decay of coliphages and adenovirus suggesting that this rarely studied biotic factor is an important driver of viral reductions in freshwater aquatic habitats.

Assessing the Occurrence of Waterborne Viruses in Reuse Systems: Analytical Limits and Needs

Detection of waterborne enteric viruses is an essential tool in assessing the risk of waterborne transmission. Cell culture is considered a gold standard for detection of these viruses. However, it is important to recognize the uncertainty and limitations of enteric virus detection in cell culture. Cell culture cannot support replication of all virus types and strains, and numerous factors control the efficacy of specific virus detection assays, including chemical additives, cell culture passage number, and sequential passage of a sample in cell culture. These factors can result in a 2- to 100-fold underestimation of virus infectivity. Molecular methods reduce the time for detection of viruses and are useful for detection of those that do not produce cytopathogenic effects. The usefulness of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to access virus infectivity has been demonstrated for only a limited number of enteric viruses and is limited by an understanding of the mechanism of virus inactivation. All of these issues are important to consider when assessing waterborne infectious viruses and expected goals on virus reductions needed for recycled water. The use of safety factors to account for this may be useful to ensure that the risks in drinking water and recycled water for potable reuse are minimized.

Wavelength-Dependent Damage to Adenoviral Proteins Across the Germicidal UV Spectrum

Adenovirus, a waterborne pathogen responsible for causing bronchitis, pneumonia, and gastrointestinal infections, is highly resistant to UV disinfection and therefore drives the virus disinfection regulations set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Polychromatic UV irradiation has been shown to be more effective at inactivating adenovirus and other viruses than traditional monochromatic irradiation emitted at 254 nm; the enhanced efficacy has been attributed to UV-induced damage to viral proteins. This research shows UV-induced damage to adenoviral proteins across the germicidal UV spectrum at wavelength intervals between 200 and 300 nm. A deuterium lamp with bandpass filters and UV light-emitting diodes (UV LEDs) isolated wavelengths in approximate 10 nm intervals. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and image densitometry were used to detect signatures for the hexon, penton, fiber, minor capsid, and core proteins. The greatest loss of protein signature, indicating damage to viral proteins, occurred below 240 nm. Hexon and penton proteins exposed to a dose of 28 mJ/cm² emitted at 214 nm were approximately 4 times as sensitive and fiber proteins approximately 3 times as sensitive as those exposed to a dose of 50 mJ/cm² emitted at 254 nm. At 220 nm, a dose of 38 mJ/cm² reduced the hexon and penton protein quantities to approximately 33% and 31% of the original amounts, respectively. In contrast, a much higher dose of 400 mJ/cm² emitted at 261 and 278 nm reduced the original protein quantity to between 66-89% and 80-93%, respectively. No significant damage was seen with a dose of 400 mJ/cm² at 254 nm. This research directly correlates enhanced inactivation at low wavelengths with adenoviral protein damage at those wavelengths, adding fundamental insight into the mechanisms of inactivation of polychromatic germicidal UV irradiation for improving UV water disinfection.