Uptake Kinetics of CrAssphage, PMMoV, Human Adenovirus 40/41, Norovirus GII, Enterovirus, and SARS-CoV-2 on Electronegative Membrane Passive Samplers

Abstract

Wastewater surveillance (WWS) of viruses can aid public health officials in monitoring community infection dynamics and act as an early warning system for the introduction of viral infectious diseases. In recent years, agile, low-cost devices called passive samplers have proven to be indispensable for targeted wastewater surveillance. However, the viral uptake kinetics are unexplored for most viruses, limiting the understanding of optimal deployment times and the representativeness of this sampling method for assessing community viral shedding. This study investigates the uptake kinetics of CrAssphage, Pepper Mild Mottle Virus, Human Adenovirus 40/41, Human Norovirus genogroup II, Enterovirus, and SARS-CoV-2 on electronegative membrane passive samplers. Viral uptake was modeled by linear and pseudo-first-order uptake models for up to 48 h (adjusted R²: 0.89–0.99), with minimal saturation for 48 h. Bench-scale experiments revealed enrichment of Human Adenoviruses 40/41 on membranes compared to all other viral targets for 24–48 h deployment (p < 0.05), while differences were less pronounced with shorter deployment durations. This work highlights virus-specific interactions with passive samplers and how deployment times can affect the relative concentrations of viruses detected. Understanding these kinetics is critical for selecting appropriate sampling strategies and normalization methodologies for WWS of viral infectious diseases.