Viruses and bacteriophages.

Many of the enteric viruses which are transmitted from person to person by the fecal-oral route are found in raw and treated wastewater, and because of their persistence under adverse conditions may also be found in slightly polluted waters. There is no routine examination procedure of water and wastewater for enteroviruses, mainly because of the cumbersome isolation techniques, high cost and the need for highly skilled laboratory personnel. Phages are specific to single species of bacteria, are known for many enteric bacteria, and are very often used for final identification of enteric pathogenic bacteria. Coliphages are prevalent in raw and treated sewage as well as in polluted water, where enteric viruses may also be found. Coliphages were often mentioned as possible viral indicators in polluted water. To be a perfect indicator, they should comply with minimum criteria as follows: (a) they should be present wherever human enteric viruses are present; (b) the coliphage numbers recovered should be equal to or larger than those of enteric viruses recovered; (c) the coliphages should be at least as resistant as enteric viruses to adverse environmental conditions; (d) isolation and quantification of the coliphage should be faster and less expensive than isolation of the enteroviruses. Comparative studies show that the coliphage to enterovirus ratio in wastewater is about 10(3):1. Levels of poliovirus 1 (attenuated) to coliphage f2 remained stable for a few months in oxidation pond effluents. f2 coliphage exhibited higher resistance to chlorination than poliovirus 1 (attenuated). When the two strains were kept in water of different quality, f2 survived longer. In addition, all coliphage counts were completed within 24 h. while those of enteroviruses required about a week. Results indicate very strongly that coliphages can be used as viral indicators and this is already the practice in a few European and other countries.