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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, April 2005, p. 1941-1945, Vol. 71, No. 4
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.4.1941-1945.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Elimination of Botulinum Neurotoxin (BoNT) Type B from Drinking Water by Small-Scale (Personal-Use) Water Purification Devices and Detection of BoNT in Water Samples

Ari Hörman,1,2* Mari Nevas,1 Miia Lindström,1 Marja-Liisa Hänninen,1 and Hannu Korkeala1

Department of Food and Environmental Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki,1 Medical School, The Finnish Defense Forces, Lahti, Finland2

Received 7 August 2004/ Accepted 28 October 2004

Seven small-scale drinking water purification devices were evaluated for their capacity to eliminate botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) type B from drinking water. Influent water inoculated with toxic Clostridium botulinum cultures and effluent purified water samples were tested for the presence of BoNT by using a standard mouse bioassay and two commercial rapid enzyme immunoassays (EIAs). The water purification devices based on filtration through ceramic or membrane filters with a pore size of 0.2 to 0.4 µm or irradiation from a low-pressure UV-lamp (254 nm) failed to remove BoNT from raw water (reduction of <0.1 log10 units). A single device based on reverse osmosis was capable of removing the BoNT to a level below the detection limit of the mouse bioassay (reduction of >2.3 log10 units). The rapid EIAs intended for the detection of BoNT from various types of samples failed to detect BoNT from aqueous samples containing an estimated concentration of BoNT of 396,000 ng/liter.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Food and Environmental Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 57, 00014 Helsinki University, Finland. Phone: 358 40 5560851. Fax: 358 9 19149718. E-mail: ari.horman{at}milnet.fi.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, April 2005, p. 1941-1945, Vol. 71, No. 4
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.4.1941-1945.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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