Partial purification of a thermostable dextranase using Sephacryl S-300 adsorption

Thermostable dextranase (1,6-α- d -glucan 6-glucanohydrolysase) from a thermophilic anaerobic bacterium strain Rt364, isolated from a New Zealand hot spring, was partially purified from the cell-free supernatant fluid by adsorption onto Sephacryl S-300, a dextran-based chromatographic resin. It was competitively eluted with 2% T10 dextran, dialysed, concentrated and examined by SDS–PAGE. The overall recovery was 47% and the increase in specific activity by this procedure was 25-fold. The Rt364 dextranase had previously been found to have an optimum temperature of 80 °C and hydrolysed both α-1,6 and α-1,4 glucosidic bonds. Sephacryl S-300 adsorption is a simple, useful step with general application for concentrating and purifying bacterial enzymes that hydrolyse dextrans.     

Concentration of simian rotavirus SA-11 from tap water by membrane filtration and organic flocculation

Simian rotavirus SA-11 was concentrated from tap water by adsorption to and elution from microporous filters, followed by organic flocculation. Two types of filters were compared for their ability to concentrate the virus. Both Zeta Plus 60S and Cox AA type M-780 filters were efficient for virus adsorption, but the efficiency of virus elution was higher with Zeta Plus than with Cox filters. Optimum conditions for virus recovery from Zeta Plus filters included an input water pH of 6.5 to 7.5 and the use of 3% beef extract (pH 9.0) for elution. Under these conditions, an average of 62 to 100% of the virus was recovered in the concentrate. Organic flocculation was used as a second-step concentration method, with average recoveries of 47 to 69%. When the two methods were used to concentrate small numbers (7 to 75 PFU/liter) of input rotavirus, an average of 75 +/- 40% recovery was achieved. With large volumes of input water, however, recovery was reduced to 16 +/- 7%.     

Concentration of enteroviruses from large volumes of water

An improved method for concentrating viruses from large volumes of clean waters is described. It was found that, by acidification, viruses in large volumes of water could be efficiently adsorbed to epoxy-fiber-glass and nitrocellulose filters in the absence of exogenously added salts. Based upon this finding, a modified version of our previously described virus concentration system was developed for virus monitoring of clean waters. In this procedure the water being tested is acidified by injection of N HCl prior to passage through a virus adsorber consisting of a fiber-glass cartridge depth filter and an epoxy-fiber-glass membrane filter in series. The adsorbed viruses are then eluted with a 1-liter volume of pH 11.5 eluent and reconcentrated by adsorption to and elution from a small epoxy-fiber-glass filter series. With this method small quantities of poliovirus in 100-gallon (378.5-liter) volumes of tapwater were concentrated nearly 40,000-fold with an average virus recovery efficiency of 77%.     

Development of quantitative methods for the detection of enteroviruses in sewage sludges during activation and following land disposal.

The development and evaluation of methods for the quantitative recovery of enteroviruses from sewage sludge are reported. Activated sewage sludge solids were collected by centrifugation, and elution of the solid-associated virus was accomplished by mechanical agitation in glycine buffer at pH 11.0. Eluted viruses were concentrated either onto an aluminum hydroxide floc or by association with a floc which formed de novo upon adjustment of the glycine eluate to pH 3.5. Viruses which remained in the liquid phase after lowering the pH of glycine eluate were concentrated by adsorption to and elution from membrane filters. The method of choice included high pH glycine elution and subsequent low pH concentration; it yielded an efficiency of recovery from activated sludge of 80% for poliovirus type 1, 68% for echovirus type 7, and 75% for coxsackievirus B3. This method was used to study the survival of naturally occurring virus in sludge at a sewage treatment plant and after subsequent land disposal of the solids after aerobic digestion. Reduction of enterovirus titers per gram (dry weight) of solids were modest during sludge activation but increased to a rate of 2 log 10/week after land disposal.     

Simple method for the concentration of influenza virus from allantoic fluid on microporous filters.

Membrane filter adsorption-elution is an efficient method for concentration and partial purification of several types of viruses from various aqueous solutions. For efficient virus adsorption to negatively charged filters, the sample is adjusted to pH 3.5 and trivalent salts are added before filtration. Since influenza virus is sensitive to extremes in pH, it cannot be concentrated by ordinary filters. Zeta Plus filters, which have a net positive charge of up to 5 or 6, were evaluated for the concentration of influenza virus from infectious allantoic fluids. Influenza virus efficiently adsorbed to Zeta Plus filters at pH 6, and addition of salts was not necessary. Adsorbed virus was eluted in a small volume of 2% bovine serum albumin plus 1 M NaCl at pH 10. By this procedure, viruses in 100 ml of allantoic fluid were concentrated to a final volume of 8 ml, with an average recovery efficiency of 71.0%.     

Development of quantitative methods for the detection of enteroviruses in sewage sludges during activation and following land disposal.

The development and evaluation of methods for the quantitative recovery of enteroviruses from sewage sludge are reported. Activated sewage sludge solids were collected by centrifugation, and elution of the solid-associated virus was accomplished by mechanical agitation in glycine buffer at pH 11.0. Eluted viruses were concentrated either onto an aluminum hydroxide floc or by association with a floc which formed de novo upon adjustment of the glycine eluate to pH 3.5. Viruses which remained in the liquid phase after lowering the pH of glycine eluate were concentrated by adsorption to and elution from membrane filters. The method of choice included high pH glycine elution and subsequent low pH concentration; it yielded an efficiency of recovery from activated sludge of 80% for poliovirus type 1, 68% for echovirus type 7, and 75% for coxsackievirus B3. This method was used to study the survival of naturally occurring virus in sludge at a sewage treatment plant and after subsequent land disposal of the solids after aerobic digestion. Reduction of enterovirus titers per gram (dry weight) of solids were modest during sludge activation but increased to a rate of 2 log 10/week after land disposal.     

Short-term physiologic effects of mechanical flow sorting and the Becton-Dickinson cell concentrator in cultures of the marine phytoflagellata Emiliania huxleyi and Micromonas pusilla.

BACKGROUND: In contrast to large, high-efficiency cytometers, mechanically sorting benchtop instruments provide a feasible alternative for shipboard cell sorting of oceanic microbial communities. However, sorting efficiency of these instruments is constrained by their maximum sorting rate of approximately 300 cells/s and by constant dilution of sorted samples by sheath flow. These factors often render too low sorted cell concentrations for postsorting experiments of oceanic phytoplankton populations of low natural abundance. A Cell Concentrator module has been marketed to overcome these dilution effects. Postsorting experiments also have to consider potential physiologic effects of cell sorting. Short-term physiologic effects on phytoplankton photosynthetic rates and esterase activities by mechanical flow sorting and cell concentration and on the efficiency of the Cell Concentrator module are evaluated. METHODS: Increasing numbers of the oceanic phytoflagellates Micromonas pusilla and Emiliania huxleyi were sorted and concentrated, and recovery in the concentrated samples was compared with the sorted-only samples (concentration rate) and the total number of sorted cells (recovery rate). Photosynthetic rates and metabolic activities of sorted and sorted/concentrated cells were compared with unsorted cells. Photosynthetic rates were estimated from 14CO2 uptake experiments and metabolic activity quantified cytometrically after cleavage of fluorescein diacetate. RESULTS: Irrespective of the total number of sorted cells, concentration rates between concentrated and sorted cells remained mostly below 10-fold and did not increase with the number of concentrated cells. Recovery rates in the concentrated samples amounted to fewer than 10% of total sorted cells, except for forceful resuspension attempts in the Concentrator insert (25-44%), which might be unsuitable for delicate species. Cell sorting resulted in a 24-49% decrease in photosynthetic rates. Metabolic activity within metabolically active cells was not affected by cell sorting, but the share of metabolically active cells decreased by 32-37%. Cell concentration did not affect metabolic activity or the fraction of active cells but did increase photosynthetic rate several-fold compared with unsorted cells. CONCLUSION: Low recovery of concentrated cells, probably due to cell adhesion to the filer bottom of the Concentrator insert, render the Cell Concentrator of limited use to overcome dilution problems of mechanical flow sorting, particularly when results are extrapolated to natural, low-abundance populations. Severe changes in photosynthetic rates also render concentrated cells suspicious for subsequent physiologic experiments. Mechanical sorting alone also exhibited significant physiologic effects on sorted cells, some of which might not be temporary. Comparable effects between mechanical sorting and droplet sorting as previously reported confirm that physiologic effects might be caused predominantly by shear stress and laser exposure during cytometric analysis rather than the sorting process. Sufficient recovery time must be allowed before postsorting experiments, but potential changes in cell physiology from the natural conditions during postsorting recovery must be considered.     

Concentration of Simian Rotavirus SA-11 from Tap Water by Membrane Filtratiòn and Organic Flocculation

Simian rotavirus SA-11 was concentrated from tap water by adsorption to and elution from microporous filters, followed by organic flocculation. Two types of filters were compared for their ability to concentrate the virus. Both Zeta Plus 60S and Cox AA type M-780 filters were efficient for virus adsorption, but the efficiency of virus elution was higher with Zeta Plus than with Cox filters. Optimum conditions for virus recovery from Zeta Plus filters included an input water pH of 6.5 to 7.5 and the use of 3% beef extract (pH 9.0) for elution. Under these conditions, an average of 62 to 100% of the virus was recovered in the concentrate. Organic flocculation was used as a second-step concentration method, with average recoveries of 47 to 69%. When the two methods were used to concentrate small numbers (7 to 75 PFU/liter) of input rotavirus, an average of 75 ± 40% recovery was achieved. With large volumes of input water, however, recovery was reduced to 16 ± 7%.     

Growth of Trypanosoma cruzi in Cultures of Chick Embryo Cells, and Effects of Furazolidone and Tris (p-Aminophenyl)Carbonium Chloride

SYNOPSIS. Monolayers of cells of coverslips were produced by culturing known numbers of trypsinized chick cells in growth medium (solution 199 plus 20% calf serum) at 37 C for 2 days. The fluid was then replaced with maintenance medium (solution 199 plus 5% calf serum) containing various known numbers of T. cruzi and the preparations were incubated at 33 C for 5 days; fresh maintenance medium was substituted on the 2nd or 3rd day. The inocula of parasites were obtained from T. cruzi -cell cultures, supplemented with 2% sterile NNN overlay, or from NNN cultures.
The numbers of extracellular parasites, proportions of infected cells, and percentage distribution of infected cells relative to the number of intracellular leishmanial bodies were determined on days 2 or 3 and 5 of parasite cultivation in many experiments. Analyses of the data gave the following results. Extracellular parasites increased 2- to 14-fold during the first 2 or 3 days, depending upon the source and size of the inocula, and 10- to 20-fold during the last 2 or 3 days. Cell infection continued throughout incubation at daily rates of 1.4-4.5%; 8-22% of the cells became infected during the 5 days of incubation. Intracellular growth was reflected most clearly by increases in the proportion of cells having >10 leishmanial bodies. This increase was about 5% daily during the last 2 or 3 days of incubation.
A useful test procedure for assessing the antiparasitic action and chick embryo cell toxicity of drugs is illustrated by data obtained with furazolidone and tris ( p -aminophenyl)carbonium chloride.     

Method for Salmonella concentration from water at pH 3.5, using micro-fiber glass filters.

A method is described for the concentration of Salmonella from water. As is done with enterovirus, Salmonella bacteria were concentrated from water in two steps: by pH 3.5 adsorption on and pH 9.5 elution from 8-micron porosity micro-fiber glass filter tubes. This method worked in less than 30 min, and Salmonella typhimurium was inactivated only slightly in spite of rapid pH variations (pH 3.5 to 9.5). It was demonstrated that the retention by the filters stems from two phenomena: a low retention in the micro-fiber glass labyrinth for small filtered volumes, and a high retention by adsorption at pH 3.5 for any filtered volume (experiments done with 15- and 80-liter samples). Addition in tap water of trivalent ions like Al3+ did not increase Salmonella adsorption. In most of the trials, Salmonella recovery varied from 42 to 93%. Preliminary field investigations indicate that enterovirus and Salmonella may both be concentrated from the same water sample by this procedure.     

Method for Salmonella concentration from water at pH 3.5, using micro-fiber glass filters.

A method is described for the concentration of Salmonella from water. As is done with enterovirus, Salmonella bacteria were concentrated from water in two steps: by pH 3.5 adsorption on and pH 9.5 elution from 8-micron porosity micro-fiber glass filter tubes. This method worked in less than 30 min, and Salmonella typhimurium was inactivated only slightly in spite of rapid pH variations (pH 3.5 to 9.5). It was demonstrated that the retention by the filters stems from two phenomena: a low retention in the micro-fiber glass labyrinth for small filtered volumes, and a high retention by adsorption at pH 3.5 for any filtered volume (experiments done with 15- and 80-liter samples). Addition in tap water of trivalent ions like Al3+ did not increase Salmonella adsorption. In most of the trials, Salmonella recovery varied from 42 to 93%. Preliminary field investigations indicate that enterovirus and Salmonella may both be concentrated from the same water sample by this procedure.     

Concentration of Bacteriophages from Natural Waters

The methods used for concentrating animal viruses from drinking water were found to be unsuitable for the concentration of bacteriophages from natural waters. The factors affecting recovery were investigated and a concentration procedure devised which is amenable to larger scale and field use. This procedure involves: (1) passage of the water through a sand filter; (2) removal of dissolved organic material with an anion exchange resin; (3) addition of MgCl₂ to a final concentration of 5 times 10^-4 m ; (4) adjustment of the pH value to 3°8; (5) adsorption of the bacteriophages on to fibre glass and cellulose nitrate filters; (6) elution of bound phage with 3% (w/v) beef extract, and (7) concentration by ultrafiltration of the resulting eluates. Using this procedure a wide range of test bacteriophages was concentrated from 41 to 5 ml with recoveries ranging from 18–80%—concentration factors of 200–900 fold.     

Evaluation of methods for concentrating hepatitis A virus from drinking water

By using recently developed cultivation and assay systems, currently available methods for concentrating enteric viruses from drinking water by adsorption to and subsequent elution from microporous filters followed by organic flocculation were evaluated for their ability to recover hepatitis A virus (HAV). Cell culture-adapted HAV (strain HM-175) in seeded tapwater was efficiently adsorbed by both electronegative (Filterite) and electropositive (Virosorb 1MDS) filters at pH and ionic conditions previously used for other enteric viruses. Adsorbed HAV was efficiently eluted from these filters by beef extract eluents at pH 9.5. Eluted HAV was further concentrated efficiently by acid precipitation (organic flocculation) of eluents containing beef extract made from powdered, but not paste, sources. By using optimum adsorption conditions for each type of filter, HAV was concentrated greater than 100-fold from samples of seeded tapwater, with about 50% recovery of the initial infectious virus added to the samples. The ability to recover and quantify HAV in contaminated drinking water with currently available methods should prove useful in further studies to determine the role of drinking water in HAV transmission.     

Evaluation of methods for concentrating hepatitis A virus from drinking water.

By using recently developed cultivation and assay systems, currently available methods for concentrating enteric viruses from drinking water by adsorption to and subsequent elution from microporous filters followed by organic flocculation were evaluated for their ability to recover hepatitis A virus (HAV). Cell culture-adapted HAV (strain HM-175) in seeded tapwater was efficiently adsorbed by both electronegative (Filterite) and electropositive (Virosorb 1MDS) filters at pH and ionic conditions previously used for other enteric viruses. Adsorbed HAV was efficiently eluted from these filters by beef extract eluents at pH 9.5. Eluted HAV was further concentrated efficiently by acid precipitation (organic flocculation) of eluents containing beef extract made from powdered, but not paste, sources. By using optimum adsorption conditions for each type of filter, HAV was concentrated greater than 100-fold from samples of seeded tapwater, with about 50% recovery of the initial infectious virus added to the samples. The ability to recover and quantify HAV in contaminated drinking water with currently available methods should prove useful in further studies to determine the role of drinking water in HAV transmission.     

Protamine precipitation of two reovirus particle types from polluted waters.

Two forms of virus particle are released from reovirus-infected cell cultures, infectious reovirus and potentially infectious reovirus (PIV). PIV particle forms have a complete outer coat and are not infectious until the outer coat is altered or removed. The PIV concentration in polluted waters, however, has not been determined. Protamine sulfate precipitation, using 0.25% fetal bovine serum and 0.005% protamine sulfate for the first precipitation of the sample and 0.0025% for the second, was employed to concentrate infectious reovirus and PIV from water and sewage. Infectious reovirus and PIV particles were concentrated over 500-fold from river water inoculated with virus, and virus recoveries of between 80 and 100% were achieved. Virus precipitates stored at -20 degrees C as a protamine-virus concentrate showed a 5% loss of PIV after 14 days. Virus preparations were assayed, before and after treatment, with 200 micrograms of chymotrypsin per ml, using a fluorescent-antibody procedure. Protamine sulfate precipitation and fluorescent-antibody detection are effective ways to recover and assay reoviruses present in raw sewage.     

Adsorption-desorption process using wood-based activated carbon for recovery of biosurfactant from fermented distillery wastewater

Methods used for biosurfactant recovery include solvent extraction, precipitation, crystallization, centrifugation and foam fractionation. These methods cannot be used when distillery wastewater (DW) is used as the nutrient medium for biosurfactant production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain BS2, because recovery of biosurfactant by any of these methods imparts color to the biosurfactant. The biosurfactant has a nonaesthetic appearance with lowered surface active properties. These methods cannot be used for continuous recovery of biosurfactant during cultivation. Hence, a new downstream technique for biosurfactant recovery from fermented DW comprised of adsorption-desorption processes using wood-based activated carbon (WAC) was developed. This study involves batch experiments to standardize the factors affecting the rate of biosurfactant adsorption onto WAC. WAC was the most efficient adsorbent among various ones tested (i.e., silica gel, activated alumina and zeolite). The WAC (1% w v(-1)), equilibrium time (90 min), pH range of 5-10 and temperature of 40 degrees C were optimum to achieve 99.5% adsorption efficiency. Adsorption kinetics and intraparticle diffusion studies revealed the involvement of both boundary layer diffusion and intraparticle diffusion. The Langmuir adsorption isotherm of WAC indicated the formation of a monolayer coverage of the biosurfactant over a homogeneous carbon surface, while the Freundlich isotherm showed high adsorption at strong solute concentrations and low adsorption at dilute solute concentrations. WAC concentration of 4% w v(-1) facilitated complete removal of the biosurfactant from collapsed foam (contained 5-fold higher concentration of biosurfactant than was present in fermented DW). Biosurfactant adsorption was of chemisorption type. Acetone (polar solvent) was a specific viable eluant screened among various ones tested because it selectively facilitated maximum recovery, i.e., 89% biosurfactant from WAC. By acetone treatment, complete regeneration of WAC was feasible and WAC can be reused for biosurfactant recovery up to 3 cycles. The recovered biosurfactant showed improved surface-active property (i.e., much lower critical micelle concentration value of 0.013 verses 0.028 mg mL(-1) for biosurfactant recovered by classical methods). The reuse potential of WAC was assessed and results suggest that the carbon can be reused for three consecutive cycles for biosurfactant adsorption from fermented wastewater without any decrease in adsorption efficiency. Thus, this process forms a basis for continuous recovery of biosurfactant from fermented DW and concentrated foam. This process reduces the use of high cost solvent, avoids end product inhibition and minimizes product degradation.     

Enumeration and isolation of viral particles from oligotrophic marine environments by tangential flow filtration.

A method for concentrating, enumerating and isolating viral particles from marine water samples was developed and evaluated. The method consists of a concentration step by a tangential flow filtration (TFF) system, ultrafiltration by centrifugal concentrator, and visualization by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This procedure allows to reduce volumes of ca. 21 of seawater to 10-20 microliters, which can be dispensed on electron microscopy grids to count total viral particles. This method allows the recovery of small numbers of viral particles from oligotrophic seawater samples, in which viral numbers ranged from 10(5) to 10(6) viral particles/ml. The tangential flow filtration system was evaluated as quantitative technique using suspensions of two different bacteriophages (T6 and phi X174) in autoclaved seawater. Recovery rates varied depending on both the viral morphology and flow rate; recovery percentages reached 117.4% for T6 and 60.6% for phi X174 using low flow rate.     

Dynamic behavior of adsorber membranes for protein recovery

In recent years there has been a considerable interest in developing membrane chromatography systems that function as a short, wide chromatographic column in which the adsorptive packing consists of one or more microporous membranes. This study reports the use of new adsorber membranes prepared by the incorporation of various types of ion exchange resins into an EVAL porous membrane for protein recovery. The obtained heterogeneous matrixes composed of solid particles surrounded by the polymeric film possess a good accessibility for the protein to the adsorptive sites. Furthermore, small particles can be embedded into porous polymeric structures without the disadvantages of classical chromatographic columns (high pressure drop, fouling and plugging sensitivity, low flow rate), but with the advantages of membrane technology (easy scale-up, low-pressure drop, high flow rate). The adsorptive membranes feature high static as well as dynamic protein adsorption capacities for operating flow rates ranging from 200 to 400 L h bar per m(2) and ionic strength of 20-200 mM. In a sequential desorption step by changing the pH and/or the ionic strength of the eluent, up to 90% protein recovery was obtained. Next to the separation, the mixed matrix adsorber membrane functions as a concentration medium since the protein can be concentrated up to 20-fold in the eluent. The adsorber membranes can be reused in multiple adsorption/desorption cycles with good adsorption performances.     

噬菌体浓缩方法的比较

目的：对不同噬菌体浓缩方法进行比较。方法：采用PEG沉淀、PEG反透析、阴阳离子结合树脂、超滤等5种方法对T4、T7、N4等3类噬菌体进行浓缩对比试验;在此基础上,用浓缩效果较好的方法对土壤和河道污水样本中的噬菌体进行浓缩,观察浓缩效果。结果：上述5种方法对3类噬菌体均有浓缩效果;超滤的浓缩效果最好,其次是PEG反透析,PEG沉淀没有很好的浓缩效果;河水样本中噬菌体的回收率比土壤样本高。结论：可通过PEG反透析、超滤或两者相结合的方法,得到高浓度的有活性的噬菌体。     

Virus in Water. II. Evaluation of Membrane Cartridge Filters for Recovering Low Multiplicities of Poliovirus from Water

The efficiency of a Millitube MF cartridge filter, a membrane filter, for recovery of poliovirus from 100-gal volumes of both fresh (tap) and estuarine water was determined. In the high multiplicity of virus input-output experiments, recovery of 97% or greater of input virus was achieved in both types of water when the final concentration of divalent cation as Mg(2+) was 1,200 mug/ml and the pH was 4.5. Virus was effectively eluted from the membrane cartridge with 5x nutrient broth in 0.05 M carbonate-bicarbonate buffer at pH 9.0. Four elutions of 250 ml each were used. In the low multiplicity of virus input-output experiments under the same cationic and pH conditions, up to 67% of the input virus was recovered when the virus was further concentrated from the eluates by the aqueous polymer two-phase separation technique. The volume reduction was 126,000-190,000 to 1. The use of the combined techniques, i.e., membrane adsorption followed by aqueous polymer two-phase separation, provided a highly sensitive, simple, and remarkably reliable sequential methodology for the quantitative recovery of poliovirus occurring at multiplicities as low as 1 to 2 plaque-forming units per 5 gal of water.