Applied and Theoretical Aspects of Virus Adsorption to Surfaces

This chapter highlights how the current understanding of the mechanisms and factors influencing virus adsorption can be used to interpret and control virus behavior in the environment. An understanding of factors controlling the interaction has already led to new and improved methods for the concentration of viruses from water, and their isolation from the environment. It is evident that not all viruses behave alike toward a solid under identical conditions. Under most natural conditions viruses with a low isoelectric point appear to be more poorly adsorbed to most solid surfaces. This must be taken into consideration when evaluating concentration or treatment systems which involve adsorption. This phenomenon is also important in determining the transport of viruses in the environment. Certain enteric viruses appear to adsorb less readily to soils and aquatic sediments than others. Thus their potential transport to groundwater may be greater and they may be less likely to settle in surface waters. To take into consideration these differences in virus behavior, it is perhaps best to use viruses with widely varying isoelectric points or marked differences in hydrophobicity to evaluate the extremes in virus interaction with a given surface which could occur.