Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-2025
Publication Title
Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Abstract
Sunlight disinfection is an important inactivation process for enteric viruses in water. Understanding how dark biotic processes, such as zooplankton filter feeding, impact sunlight disinfection for viruses has important implications for public health. This research quantifies the uptake of MS2, a model for enteric viruses, by the filter feeder Branchionus plicatilis (rotifer) and the effects of such uptake on subsequent sunlight inactivation of MS2. Experiments co-incubating MS2 with rotifers showed 2.6 log viral removal over 120 hours. Viable virus was recovered from rotifer bodies after co-incubation, indicating incomplete viral inactivation via ingestion. When live rotifers were co-incubated with MS2 and the system was treated with sunlight, experimental treatments with rotifers showed that the virus was protected with 2–3 log viral inactivation compared to 4.5 log inactivation for sunlight controls without rotifers. Dead rotifers placed in the system did not show the same magnitude of protection effects, indicating that active filter feeding of rotifers is associated with protection from sunlight. Data from this study show that zooplankton may serve as a vector for viruses and reduce the efficiency of sunlight inactivation.
Keywords
zooplankton, viral inactivation, rotifers, enteric viruses, sunlight disinfection
Volume
91
Issue
4
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.02540-24
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Rights
Copyright © 2025 Wang et al.
Version
Version of Record
Recommended Citation
Wang, J. A.; Aryal, O.; Brownstein, L. N.; Shwwa, H.; Rickard, A. L.; Stephens, A. E.; Lanzarini-Lopes, M.; and Ismail, Niveen S., "Zooplankton Protect Viruses from Sunlight Disinfection" (2025). Engineering: Faculty Publications, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/egr_facpubs/157