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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center » Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #301858
Title: Simultaneous concentration of bovine viruses and agricultural zoonotic bacteria from water using sodocalcic glass wool filters

Author
item ABD-ELMAKSOUD, SHERIF - National Research Centre
item Spencer, Susan
item GERBA, CHARLES - University Of Arizona
item TAMIMI, AKRUM - University Of Arizona
item Jokela, William
item Borchardt, Mark

Submitted to: Food and Environmental Virology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/4/2014
Publication Date: 7/25/2014
Publication URL: https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/5801850
Citation: Abd-Elmaksoud, S., Spencer, S.K., Gerba, C.P., Tamimi, A.H., Jokela, W.E., Borchardt, M.A. 2014. Simultaneous concentration of bovine viruses and agricultural zoonotic bacteria from water using sodocalcic glass wool filters. Food and Environmental Virology. 6:253-259.

Interpretive Summary: Having one simple method for concentrating multiple types of waterborne pathogens would be advantageous for assessing pathogen levels in water and the associated health risk. Current methods tend to be specific for a particular pathogen group and the required equipment can be complicated and expensive. In this study, we demonstrate that glass wool filters are effective for concentrating the types of waterborne viral and bacterial pathogens typically associated with dairy manure. We found the filters work even with highly turbid water, water with characteristics similar to runoff from cultivated agricultural fields. The filters are inexpensive and easily-constructed in any laboratory. This method is useful to researchers and water quality professionals working to reduce pathogen inputs into the nation's waterways.

Technical Abstract: Infiltration and runoff from manured agricultural fields can result in livestock pathogens reaching groundwater and surface waters. Here, we measured the effectiveness of glass wool filters to simultaneously concentrate enteric viruses and bacteria of bovine origin from water. The recovery efficiencies of bovine viral diarrhea virus types 1 and 2, bovine rotavirus group A, bovine coronavirus, poliovirus Sabin III, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Campylobacter jejuni seeded into water with three different turbidity levels were determined. Twenty liters of dechlorinated tap water (pH = 7) were seeded with the test organisms and then passed through a glass wool filter using a peristaltic pump (flow rate = 1 liter min-1). Retained organisms were eluted from the filters by passing beef extract-glycine buffer (pH 9.5) in the direction opposite of sample flow. Recovered organisms were enumerated by qPCR except for Campylobacter jejuni, which was quantified by culture. Mean recovery efficiencies ranged from 55% to 33% for the bacteria and 58% to 16% for the viruses. Glass wool filtration is a cost-effective method for concentrating several waterborne pathogens of bovine origin simultaneously, although recovery may be low for some specific taxa such as bovine viral diarrhea virus 1.