Performance evaluation of a dead-end hollowfiber ultrafiltration method for enumeration of somatic and F+ coliphage from recreational waters

•D-HFUF-SAL was effective in enumerating coliphage levels from 1 l water samples.•Average somatic and F + coliphage recoveries were 72 % and 52 %, respectively.•Somatic coliphage recovery in freshwater was slightly higher than F+ (p = 0.0134).•F + coliphage recovery was lower than somatic in marine...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of virological methods 2021-10, Vol.296, p.114245-114245, Article 114245
Main Authors: Korajkic, Asja, McMinn, Brian R., Herrmann, Michael P., Pemberton, Adin C., Kelleher, Julie, Oshima, Kevin, Villegas, Eric N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coliphages
Dead-end hollowfiber ultrafiltration
Double agar layer
Feces
Fresh Water
Method performance
Single agar layer
Somatic and F+ coliphage
Ultrafiltration
Water Microbiology
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Summary:•D-HFUF-SAL was effective in enumerating coliphage levels from 1 l water samples.•Average somatic and F + coliphage recoveries were 72 % and 52 %, respectively.•Somatic coliphage recovery in freshwater was slightly higher than F+ (p = 0.0134).•F + coliphage recovery was lower than somatic in marine waters (p ≤ 0.0001).•Spike titer method significantly affected F + coliphage recovery rates (p < 0.0001). Dead-end hollow fiber ultrafiltration combined with a single agar layer assay (D-HFUF-SAL) has potential use in the assessment of sanitary quality of recreational waters through enumeration of coliphage counts as measures of fecal contamination. However, information on applicability across a broad range of sites and water types is limited. Here, we tested the performance of D-HFUF-SAL on 49 marine and freshwater samples. Effect of method used to titer the spiking suspension (SAL versus double agar layer [DAL]) on percent recovery was also evaluated. Average somatic coliphage recovery (72 % ± 27) was significantly higher (p < 0.0001) compared to F+ (53 % ± 19). This was more pronounced for marine (p ≤ 0.0001) compared to freshwaters (p = 0.0134). Neither method affected somatic coliphage, but DAL (28 % ± 12) significantly (p < 0.0001) underestimated F + coliphage recoveries compared to SAL (53 % ± 19). Overall, results indicate that, while D-HFUF-SAL performed well over a wide variety of water types, F + coliphage recoveries were significantly reduced for marine waters suggesting that some components unique to this habitat may interfere with the assay performance. More importantly, our findings indicate that choice of spike titer method merits careful consideration since it may under-estimate method percent recovery.
ISSN:0166-0934
1879-0984
DOI:10.1016/j.jviromet.2021.114245