Yan Jin, Markus Flury,

Fate and Transport of Viruses in Porous Media,

Editor(s): Donald L. Sparks,
Advances in Agronomy,
Academic Press,
Volume 77,
2002,
Pages 39-102,
ISSN 0065-2113,
ISBN 9780120007950,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2113(02)77013-2.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0065211302770132)
Abstract: Microbiological contaminants (e.g., bacteria, protozoa, and viruses) pose
one of the greatest risks in water resources. About 70% of the waterborne microbial
illness outbreaks in the United States has been associated with groundwater.
Although viruses are not the only pathogens known to contaminate groundwater, they
are much smaller in size than bacteria or protozoan cysts and are not filtered out
to the same extent in the porous soil matrix. Knowledge of the factors that
influence the fate and transport of viruses in soil and aquifers is critical to
making accurate determinations of groundwater vulnerability and to developing
regulations that are protective of public health. In this paper, we review the
current state of knowledge on fate and transport of viruses in porous media which
include (i) mechanisms and modeling of virus sorption, (ii) virus survival and
factors affecting virus inactivation in the natural environment, and (iii)
mechanisms of virus transport in porous media and available modeling approaches.
Because viruses are surrounded by a protein capsid and are expected to behave
similarly to proteins, an overview on the mechanisms of protein sorption and
denaturation is also provided. Factors such as solution chemistry, virus
properties, soil properties, temperature, association with solid particles, and
water content have been found to influence virus sorption, survival, and transport
in porous media. A review of protein literature provides some insights as to what
mechanism might be involved in virus sorption that have so far not been studied.
Some needs for future research are suggested.