Reduction of Norwalk virus, poliovirus 1 and coliphage MS2 by monochloramine disinfection of water

Abstract

The reduction of Norwalk virus (NV) by a 2 mg/L dose of pre-formed monochloramine was determined at pH 8 and 5°C in bench-scale, batch disinfection experiments using quantitative RT-PCR for NV assays. Two other enteric viruses, poliovirus 1 (PV1) and coliphage MS2, were included for comparison and assayed by infectivity as well as RT-PCR. After 3h, reductions of PV1 and MS2 by infectivity assays were about 1 log10 but there were no reductions of these viruses by RT-PCR assays. Hence, RT-PCR underestimated virus inactivation by monochloramine. However, NV reduction by monochloramine was about 1 log10 by RT-PCR assay, suggesting that it is more susceptible to monochloramine than the other two viruses tested. Based on RT-PCR titre reduction, the CT99 value for NV was about 775 mg-min/L. If the reduction of NV infectivity by monochloramine is ever greater than the reduction of RT-PCR signals, the CT99 value would be smaller. However, the results of this study indicate that NV and the other enteric viruses tested are not rapidly and extensively reduced by disinfection with pre-formed monochloramine.