Virus electrokinetic properties

Virus and Assay. Poliovirus type 1, strain LSc2ab, was obtained from F. L. Schaifer, Naval Biomedical Laboratories, Oakland, California. This virus is characteristic of enteroviruses in terms of size (27 nm in diameter), architecture (6), adsorption, the electrokinetic properties of many types (discussed later), and in terms of stability in aquatic environments (7). A diagram of this virus adsorbing to a flat surface is shown in Figure 1. 

Electrokinetic properties of the virus, which we showed to be involved directly in the electrostatic double-layer contribution to virus... 

An unanswered question does remain regarding the extension of our findings to predict the adsorption characteristics of human hepatitis type A. This virus is the etiologic agent of infectious hepatitis, which is considered to be the most serious problem in the transmission of waterborne virus disease (i). It is similar to other enteroviruses in terms of size (27 nm in diameter), density in CsCl gradients (1.34 g cm ), stability in the presence of chemical and physical agents, and probable nucleic acid type (69). However, electrokinetic properties of this virus have yet to be characterized. This information is required before accurate predictions of electrostatic components of adsorption can be made for this virus. 

Adsorption of enteric viruses on mineral surfaces in soil and aquatic environments is well recognized as an important mechanism controlling virus dissemination in natural systems. The adsorption of poliovirus type 1, strain LSc2ab, on oxide surfaces was studied from the standpoint of equilibrium thermodynamics. Mass-action free energies are found to agree with potentials evaluated from the DLVO-Lifshitz theory of colloid stability, the sum of electrodynamic van der Waals potentials and electrostatic double-layer interactions. The effects of pH and ionic strength as well as electrokinetic and dielectric properties of system components are developed from the model in the context of virus adsorption in extra-host systems. 

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