The effect of soil properties on the attachment of MS2 and ØX174 to natural soils

The attachment of viruses in the soil-water matrix is an important issue in environmental microbial risk assessment. The effects of different soil properties on the attachment of viruses have been studied using surrogate viruses known as bacteriophages. However, there have been few attempts to link those properties together to give an overall picture of the attachment dynamics. This study measured the attachment of bacteriophages MS2 and ØX174 to 27 natural, highly characterized soils. Statistical analysis was used to identify and rank the soil properties that facilitate virus attachment. Soil samples were mixed with artificial groundwater diluent and 1ml of bacteriophages for 3 hours. Attachment was measured by the reduction in phage titre in the supernatant (SS) relative to controls minus the soil (CS), and was presented as the ratio of SS/CS. The examined soil properties were pH, particle size distribution, moisture …