Stability of Human Enteroviruses in Estuarine and Marine Waters

Studies of the effects of temperature and salinity on the survival of three enteric viruses (poliomyelitis type 1, echovirus-6, and coxsackievirus B-5) under controlled laboratory conditions and in situ indicate that temperature rather than salinity is the critical factor affecting their stability, in that the higher the temperature the more rapid was the loss of viral infectivity. In the laboratory studies, all three viruses were quite stable at 4 degrees C, with infectious virus still detectable after 46 weeks of incubation. In situ studies on virus survival in free-flowing estuarine or marine waters showed that, although the viruses were more labile in natural waters than in the laboratory studies, they persisted for several months, in some cases during the winter months. At all temperatures and salinities, coxsackievirus B-5 was the most stable, echovirus-6 was intermediate, and poliovirus 1 was the least stable of the viruses tested.