DELINEATING THE SPECIFIC INFLUENCE OF VIRUS ISOELECTRIC POINT AND SIZE ON VIRUS ADSORPTION AND TRANSPORT THROUGH SANDY SOILS

Many of the factors controlling, viral transport and survival within t he subsurface are still poorly understood, In order to identify the pr ecise influence of viral isoelectric point on viral adsorption onto aq uifer sediment material, we employed five different spherical bacterio phages (MS2, PRD1, Q beta, phi X174, and PM2) having differing isoelec tric points (pi 3.9, 4.2, 5.3, 6.6, and 7.3 respectively) in laborator y viral transport studies, We employed conventional batch flowthrough columns, as well as a novel continuously recirculating column, in thes e studies, In a 0.,78-m batch flowthrough column, the smaller phages ( MS2, phi X174, and Q beta), which had similar diameters, exhibited max imum effluent concentration/initial concentration values that correlat ed exactly with their isoelectric points, In the continuously recircul ating column, viral adsorption was negatively correlated with the isoe lectric points of the viruses, A model of, virus migration in the soil columns was created by using a one-dimensional transport model in whi ch kinetic sorption was used, The data suggest that the isoelectric po int of a virus is the predetermining factor controlling viral adsorpti on within aquifers. The data also suggest that when virus particles ar e more than 60 nm in diameter,, viral dimensions become the overriding factor.