SPATIALAND TEMPORAL VARIATION IN CONCENTRATION OF F-SPECIFIC RNA BACTERIOPHAGES IN AN OPEN CHANNEL RECEIVING JOHKASOU EFFLUENTS

抄録

 An open channel receiving the johkasou effluents may play a role in transmitting several contaminants into the aquatic environment downstream, including viruses that cannot be completely removed by the johkasou system. To assess the contamination of viruses in the open channel receiving the johkasou effluents, the spatial and temporal variations of the concentration of F-specific RNA bacteriophages, as model enteric viruses, were examined both in water and sediments. The investigations were carried out at six sites along an open channel in a residential area (Gifu, Japan) from September 2011 to January 2013. F-RNA bacteriophages and Qβ were detected in the open channel ranging from 0 to 10² PFU/mL and from 10² to 10⁴ eqPFU/mL in water, and from 0 to 10² PFU/mg and from 10² to 10⁴ eqPFU/mg in sediment. Significant spatial variations in the concentration of F-RNA bacteriophages were found possibly due to the contribution of sources along the open channel. Significant temporal variations in the concentration of F-RNA bacteriophages were also observed both in the johkasou effluents and in the open channel. A significant positive correlation of F-RNA bacteriophages with VS and DS suggests possible interactions of viruses and sediment particles that seem to be carriers of viruses in the open channel.