Issue 7, 2023

Uptake without inactivation of human adenovirus type 2 by Tetrahymena pyriformis ciliates

Abstract

Human adenoviruses are ubiquitous contaminants of surface water. Indigenous protists may interact with adenoviruses and contribute to their removal from the water column, though the associated kinetics and mechanisms differ between protist species. In this work, we investigated the interaction of human adenovirus type 2 (HAdV2) with the ciliate Tetrahymena pyriformis. In co-incubation experiments in a freshwater matrix, T. pyriformis was found to efficiently remove HAdV2 from the aqueous phase, with ≥4 log10 removal over 72 hours. Neither sorption onto the ciliate nor secreted compounds contributed to the observed loss of infectious HAdV2. Instead, internalization was shown to be the dominant removal mechanism, resulting in the presence of viral particles inside food vacuoles of T. pyriformis, as visualized by transmission electron microscopy. The fate of HAdV2 once ingested was scrutinized and no evidence of virus digestion was found over the course of 48 hours. This work shows that T. pyriformis can exert a dual role in microbial water quality: while they remove infectious adenovirus from the water column, they can also accumulate infectious viruses.

Graphical abstract: Uptake without inactivation of human adenovirus type 2 by Tetrahymena pyriformis ciliates

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
27 mar 2023
Accepted
19 jun 2023
First published
19 jun 2023

Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2023,25, 1181-1192

Uptake without inactivation of human adenovirus type 2 by Tetrahymena pyriformis ciliates

M. Olive, J. Daraspe, C. Genoud and T. Kohn, Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2023, 25, 1181 DOI: 10.1039/D3EM00116D

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