[Research on coronaviruses in water. I. Adsorption and elution of the coronavirus on glass powder].

Collomb, J; Laporte, J; Vautherot, J F; Schwartzbrod, L

The purpose of the research was to determine under what conditions enteric coronaviruses from water can be optimally concentrated by acid-pH adsorption on glass-powder followed by alkaline-pH elution. The 14C labelled bovine enteric coronavirus was grown on HRT18 cell monolayers and purified. Virus adsorption was studied in relation to pH: optimal adsorption yield--between 50 to 75% (mean value: 62%)--was obtained at pH less than or equal to 3.5. Elution was made comparatively with a 0.05 M glycine solution and a 3% beef extract solution. Virus elution occurred mostly at alkaline pH with a maximum yield between 38 and 55% for pH values between 9 and 11. Owing to the sensitivity of coronavirus to acid (pH 3) and alkaline pH (pH greater than or equal to 10), adsorption was optimal at pH 3.3 and elution at pH 9. Under such conditions, the overall efficiency of the method appears to stand between 24 and 28%.