MECHANISM OF REMOVING JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS-VIRUS (JEV) AND GOLD PARTICLES USING CUPRAMMONIUM REGENERATED CELLULOSE HOLLOW-FIBER (I-BMM OR BMM) FROM AQUEOUS-SOLUTION CONTAINING PROTEIN

We intended to clarify the mechanism of virus removal in aqueous prote in solution and human plasma solution through conventional and high pe rformance regenerated cellulose hollow fiber (i.e., BMM and i-BMM). We employed Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) as a typical virus. Two ki nds of disperse gold particles (GP) with different size were represent ed as model particles of a virus and protein particles. We investigate d the filtration characteristics concerning removability of GP and JEV (PHI(g) and PHI(v), respectively) and the frequency distribution of G P and JEV within the walls of hollow fibers using a transmission elect ron microscope. The results were that (1) PHI(g) depended on the parti cle size, (2) the maximum population of captured GP moved to the outer wall with increase in challenge number, (3) i-BMM showed higher PHI(g ) and PHI(v) than those of BMM. (4) Both PHI(g) and PHI(v) depend on t he concentration of protein and total volume filtered. (5) The effects of coexistence of proteins on PHI(g) and PHI(v) are classified as ini tial change in the pore structure and local concentration of proteins in the pores (expressed as PHI(g0)) and subsequent change in the pore structure with filtration volume (phi(g0)). These indicate that JEV an d GP under the coexistence of protein are caught by BMM and i-BMM main ly through a sieving mechanism.