Methods and Compositions for Virus Removal from Liquid Substances

Arizona State University (AzTE)
posted on 06/03/2009

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Invention Description
The presence of viruses in drinking water is a major cause of concern and their detection is crucial to public health. The conventional adsorption-elution concentration method mandated by USEPA and commonly adopted for the isolation and detection of viruses form water samples, time consuming and requires extreme pH adjustments.
Researchers at Arizona State University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering have devised a novel and simplified method for removing harmful viruses from drinking water. The technique involves the additional of a modified bacterium that presents viral receptors on its outer membrane, thus capturing viral particles it encounters. The large size of the bacteria relative to viral pathogens, allows for removal by traditional sedimentation processes already employed as a standard step in water purification.

Potential Applications

Simplified purification of viral pathogens and other potentially harmful molecules from various liquid samples such as drinking water

Benefits and Advantages

Streamlined water purification for drinking purposes, minimizing steps, labor intensity and harsh conditions of traditional methods Significantly increased viral recovery efficiency Rapid results Inexpensive