IngentaConnect Electrostatic Forces Control Nonspecific Virus Attachment to Lett...

Authors: Vega, Everardo¹; Garland, Jay²; Pillai, Suresh D.³

Source: Journal of Food Protection®, Volume 71, Number 3, March 2008 , pp. 522-529(8)

Publisher: International Association for Food Protection

Abstract:

Enteric viruses are key foodborne pathogens. The objective of this study was to compare the relative contributions of electrostatic and hydrophobic forces with the nonspecific attachment of virus to butterhead lettuce. The attachment of four viruses (echovirus 11, feline calicivirus [FCV], MS2, and φX174) was studied. Three different conditions, namely (i) 1% Tween 80, (ii) 1 M NaCl, and (iii) 1% Tween 80 with 1 M NaCl, were investigated to determine the role of hydrophobic, electrostatic, and combined hydrophobic and electrostatic forces, respectively. Attachment above the pI of FCV and echovirus 11 was reduced or eliminated in the presence of NaCl, indicating an electrostatic interaction between the animal viruses and lettuce. The bacteriophage φX174 was not significantly affected by any treatment, indicating a lack of electrostatic or hydrophobic interactions between the lettuce and phage φX174. Overall, 1 M NaCl was the most effective treatment in desorbing viruses from the surface of lettuce at pH 7 and 8. The results imply that electrostatic forces play a major role in controlling virus adsorption to lettuce. The results indicate that 1 M NaCl solution would improve the recovery or elution of unenveloped viruses from lettuce.

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Polio and Picornaviruses Laboratory Branch, Division of Viral Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA 2: Dynamac Corporation, NASA Biological Sciences Branch Mail Code DYN-2, Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899, USA 3: Food Safety and Environmental Microbiology Program, Departments of Nutrition and Food Science & Poultry Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-2472, USA

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Electrostatic Forces Control Nonspecific Virus Attachment to Lettuce