A highly effective method for removing suspended poliovirus from water using a positively-charged carbon felt electrode.

We developed an effective system to eliminate poliovirus from modified tap water using a positively-charged carbon felt electrode. The zeta potential of polioviruses was measured using laser microscopic electrophoresis. Poliovirus adsorption to the electrode was examined by indirect immunofluorescence. The tissue culture infective dose (TCID) of poliovirus type 2 (Sabin strain) was determined using human rhabdomyosarcoma cells (RD cells). Poliovirus VP2 gene copy numbers were assessed by reverse transcription followed by a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The mean zeta potential of the viruses was -20 mV. Relatively large numbers of polioviruses (10(3) or 4 x 10(3) TCID(50)/0.1 ml) could be removed by adsorption to the electrode, drastically decreasing TCID and copy numbers of poliovirus genome in the water. Virus elimination was dependent on electric current and time. Thus, the positively-charged carbon felt electrode effectively adsorbed polioviruses. The system may prove applicable to the elimination of certain viruses from water.