Concentration of Virus from Water by Electro-Osmosis and Forced-Flow Electrophoresis. II. Improvement of Methodology and Application to Tap Water

Abstract

The ability of the Canalco Model CF-3 electro-osmosis (EO) apparatus to concentrate viruses from artificially seeded distilled water was improved. Modification of the physical arrangement of the equipment allowed for a 10–25 fold increase in concentration efficiency and a concomitant decrease in the process time. The major improvements involved modifications of the cell arrangement (which increased the membrane transport area), a change in the salt replenishing solution and the use of different membranes of higher flux. Viruses concentrated by E0 from seeded tap water resulted in lower recoveries when compared to distilled water. The lower yields were probably due to instability or aggregation of the agents in the menstruum and not directly related to the physical apparatus. Under the conditions used, one could detect virus at levels as low as 0.01 plaque forming units (PFU) per ml of initial input. The efficacy of a modification of the Canalco forced-flow electrophoretic (FFE) system was also evaluated. The maximum potential was applied with a constant value for pump rates. A 6-fold concentration of virus and a 12-fold decrease in water volume was obtained.