Detection of hepatitis A virus in sewage sludge by antigen capture polymerase chain reaction.

Antigen capture polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was tested as a sensitive and rapid method for detecting hepatitis A virus (HAV) in raw sewage sludge. The antigen capture PCR was performed both with and without solid-phase virus-catching monoclonal antibodies. Similar results proved that both methods were equally sensitive. Sewage sludge samples from different regions in Germany were examined for evidence of HAV contamination by antigen capture PCR. This method of detection was compared with that used in a previous study of these sewage sludge samples, in which the HAV was detected through indirect immunofluorescence after cell culture inoculation. The results obtained by antigen capture PCR matched those obtained in the earlier cell culture investigations, when HAV was detected in raw as well as digested sewage sludge samples. The advantage of the PCR method, however, lies in the fact that it needs only two days while the cell culture propagation of HAV takes about 8 to 10 weeks.