Development and Evaluation of Methods for the Elution of Enteric Viruses from Mississippi Estuarine Sediments

摘要

Estuarine sediments are thought to act as a reservoir for enteric viruses and protect them from environmental inactivation. Enteric viruses have been found to adsorb readily to estuarine sediments and are known to survive longer when attached to particulate matter than when suspended in seawater. Physical and chemical changes in the environment may be responsible for the release of virus from sediments which subsequently influence water and shellfish quality. Therefore, the study of sediment virology has epidemiological and economic significance. At present, the lack of a reliable method to elute viruses from sediments of different composition is a major handicap to the understanding of this epidemiological problem. The purpose of this investigation was to develop a suitable eluent for extraction of virus from sediments collected at Bayou Graveline, an estuarine system near Pascagoula, Mississippi.