Influence of Viral Aggregation on Virus Behavior in the Environment

Author(s): Sophie Jones

The quantity and behaviour of viruses in the environment can be significantly influenced by virus aggregates. Viral aggregates can arise in a variety of ways. Viruses can create crystal-like formations and aggregates in the host cell during replication, or they can form after virus particles have been liberated from the host cell due to changes in environmental circumstances. The type of virus, the type of salts in solution (cation, anion, monovalent, divalent), and the pH all play a role in how aggregates develop in the environment. However, the type of virus has a significant impact on the parameters that lead to aggregation/disaggregation, making predictions challenging under any given set of water quality conditions. The majority of research have found that viral aggregates promote virus survival in the environment and disinfection resistance, particularly with more reactive disinfectants. The existence of viral aggregates may cause filtration methods to overestimate viral clearance
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