VIRUS ADSORPTION IN A COMPLEX SYSTEM - AN EXPERIMENTALLY DESIGNED STUDY

Poliovirus-1 adsorption to Na-montmorillonite was studied in a complex , although known aqueous environment. Influences of salt concentration and valence, as well as virus load, clay concentration, and organic m atter concentration were determined by the viral adsorption and/or los s. Use of experimentally designed experiments according to Doehlert's matrices allowed for the detection and quantitation of the main effect s on the viral response, as well as interaction effects between tested parameters. Thus, during the reassessment of the higher efficiency of multivalent cations on virus adsorption than monovalent ones, and tha t 10 mg/l of clay material did not provide a protective effect towards inactivation by tannic acid, we were able, first, to observe an appar ent correlation between viral inactivation and ionic strength, which w e explain by a potentiating action of salts, and second, to detect a t annic acid/aluminium specific interaction that seemed to be responsibl e for the unavailability of these elements for their respective intera ction with viruses, Tannic acid thus appeared to be a realistic model for organic matter, pointing out its possible involvement in both viru s adsorption and virus inactivation phenomena. (C) 1998 Elsevier Scien ce Ltd. All rights reserved.