Surface Modification of Cotton Gauze for Increased Adsorption of Enveloped and Nonenveloped Viruses from Water

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a highly sensitive approach for monitoring the community-wide prevalence of infectious diseases in sewage, wherein pathogenic microbes shed from patients are received. During the 3-year COVID-19 pandemic, WBE proved to be an effective method. The traditional grab-sampling evaluation method is susceptible to missing peak shedding times or may be difficult to carry out routinely due to its complicated implementation. In contrast, passive sampling methods, such as capturing pathogens using materials such as cotton gauze, provide an easy and inexpensive alternative. For the accurate monitoring of viruses, a higher level of adsorption is desirable. This study examined the effect of surface modification, which increased the hydrophobicity of the cotton gauze, on the adsorption of both enveloped (murine hepatitis virus phi6) and nonenveloped (Aichivirus, Q beta) viruses. Upon adding hydrophobic lauryl groups to the original gauze OH function group at a mole ratio of 0.5:6, the adsorption of all tested viruses increased from -9.4-91.8 to 63.0-99.7%. The inactivation of bacteriophages was observed when polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based analysis was compared with culture-based analysis; hence, PCR-based methods are recommended as a more robust option for evaluating passive sampling materials.