Ultrafiltration and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction: an efficient process for poliovirus, rotavirus and hepatitis A virus detection in water

A process to concentrate viruses from water associated with a rapid and sensitive viral assay was evaluated with water samples experimentally seeded with a single virus or a virus mixture [poliovirus, rotavirus, hepatitis A virus (HAV)]. Tangential ultrafiltration was used for virus concentration. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was tested for virus detection and its sensitivity compared to that of cell culture. We recovered the three viruses from experimentally contaminated samples, and detected viral infectivity or RNA with low inputs: 1 TCID50 L−1 for cell culture vs 10−3 TCID50 L−1 with the RT-PCR assay in the case of poliovirus, 1 TCID50 L−1 in the case of rotavirus whatever the technique, and RT-PCR allowed detection of HAV RNA till at least 1 TCID50 L−1. Ninety tapwater samples were also tested for the presence of enterovirus and rotavirus. Five tapwater samples were positive for the RT-PCR assay only: one for poliovirus and four for rotavirus. This procedure allows a control of the virological quality of water.