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Removal of Rotavirus and Bacteriophages by Membrane Bioreactor Technology from Sewage

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Abstract

Human enteric viruses constitute a public health concern due to their low infectious dose and their resistance to environmental factors and to inactivation processes. We aimed at assessing the performance of a laboratory scale Submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR) treating abattoir wastewaters for Rotavirus (RV) and total coliphages removal. We also aimed at evaluating removal efficiency of enteric viruses through conventional activated sludge treatment by measuring concentrations of total coliphages, considered as fecal and viral contamination indicators, with double-layer agar technique. The Log10 reduction values of bacteriophages ranged from 1.06 to 1.47. Effluents were analyzed to investigate and quantify RV, hepatitis A virus (HAV), Hepatitis E virus (HEV), Noroviruses genogroup I (NoV GI) and genogroup II (NoVGII), and Enterovirus (EV) by real-time PCR, using standardized detection kits (ceeramTools detection kits®). All effluent samples were positive for RV; concentrations ranged from 5.2 × 105 to 1.3 × 107 genome copies/L. These results highlight the inefficiency of conventional biological process for viral removal. A complete removal of RV during Membrane Bioreactor treatment was obtained. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study providing an evidence of removal of RV simultaneously with total coliphages by SMBR.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unité de Microbiologie Et Biologie Moléculaire, CNSTN, Biotech Pole Sidi Thabet, 2020, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia

    F. Hmaied, S. Jebri, I. Amri & M. Yahya

  2. Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Tunis, Laboratoire Ecologie Technologie Microbienne, Université de Carthage, BP 676, 1080, Tunis, Tunisia

    S. Keskes & M. Hamdi

  3. Centre Européen d’Expertise et de Recherche sur les Agents Microbiens (CEERAM), 1 all de la Filée, BP 54424, 44244, La Chapelle-Sur-Erdre Cedex, France

    F. Loisy-Hamon & B. Lebeau

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  1. F. Hmaied
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Correspondence to F. Hmaied.

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Hmaied, F., Keskes, S., Jebri, S. et al. Removal of Rotavirus and Bacteriophages by Membrane Bioreactor Technology from Sewage. Curr Microbiol 71, 540–545 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-015-0882-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-015-0882-y

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