ROLE OF THE AIR-WATER-SOLID INTERFACE IN BACTERIOPHAGE SORPTION EXPERIMENTS

Batch sorption experiments were carried out with the bacteriophages MS 2 and phi X174. Two types of reactor vessels, polypropylene and glass, were used, Consistently lower concentrations of MS2 were found in the Liquid phase in the absence of sail (control blanks) than in the pres ence of soil after mixing, High levels of MS2 inactivation (similar to 99.9%) were observed in control tubes made of polypropylene (PP), wit h comparatively little loss of virus seen in PP tubes when soil was pr esent, Minimal inactivation of MS2 was observed when the air-water int erface was completely eliminated from PP control blanks during mixing, All batch experiments performed with reactor tubes made of glass demo nstrated no substantial inactivation of MS2. In similar experiments, b acteriophage phi X174 did not undergo inactivation in either PP or gla ss control blanks, implying that this virus is not affected by the sam e factors which led to inactivation of MS2 in the PP control tubes, Wh en possible, phage adsorption to soil was calculated by the Freundlich isotherm, Our data suggest that forces associated with the air-water- solid interface (where the solid is a hydrophobic surface) are respons ible for inactivation of MS2 in the PP control tubes. The influence of air-water interfacial forces should be carefully considered when batc h sorption experiments are conducted with certain viruses.