Combining ultrafiltration, immunoseparation and analytical microarrays for the monitoring of viruses from large drinking water samples with a volume of 30,000 L

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Michael Seidel
• Subject Area: Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Limnology, Urban Water Management, Water Chemistry, Integrated Water Resources Management
• Term: from 2009 to 2014
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 130559539

Public and environmental health protection requires safe drinking water free of pathogenic bacteria and viruses in concentrations that can be a risk for consumer´s health. Waterborne viruses can be a public health hazard in drinking water system even in very low concentrations. However, quantitative data relating virus concentrations to health risks are largely lacking because the necessary detection technologies are only insufficiently developed. The enumeration of viruses in water in low concentrations at minute quantities demands a rapid and efficient enrichment methods in order to improve the limit of detection of subsequent detection methods. Assuming that the hygiene is only secure based on the WHO risk assessment for water quality, large sample volumes of water are needed (10,000 L – 30,000 L). So far, corresponding enrichment technologies are missing which are compatible to modern bioanalytical detection methods dealing with very low sample volumes of <10 ml. Therefore, with this proposal an enrichment and detection instrument shall be developed combining ultrafiltration for size dependent enrichment of large volumes, immunoseparation for selective enrichment to an end-volume of 1 mL, and automated analytical microarrays for rapid and simultaneous detection of various viruses in drinking water. The combined process will be validated in field studies by quantification of the bacteriophages MS2 and phiX174. Correlation studies between indicator viruses (bacteriophages) and infectious viruses (noroviruses and adenoviruses) will be performed on the new chemiluminescence flow-through microarray chip reader (MCR 3).

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Participating Person: Professor Dr. Reinhard Nießner