title: Effects of a pressure release on virus retention with the Ultipor DV20 membrane.
abstract: Recent data have shown that a temporary release in the transmembrane pressure can cause a significant increase in virus transmission through a number of commercial virus filters. The objective of this work was to study the effect of a pressure release on retention of the bacteriophage ΦX174 by the Ultipor DV20 membrane, with phage capture within the membrane visualized by confocal microscopy. Phage challenge tests showed a significant transient increase in phage transmission (typically by an order of magnitude) immediately after a pressure release. This transient increase was not due to any damage to the filter or to the presence of a back-flow (from permeate to feed). Confocal images demonstrated that the pressure release caused the migration of previously captured bacteriophage further into the depth of the filter. Data were analyzed using a modified internal polarization model, with the results providing important insights into the factors controlling virus retention during virus filtration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802.
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Woods
authors.forename: Andrew L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Zydney
mesh_terms: D010584:Bacteriophage phi X 174 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005374:Filtration / Q000379:methods*; D006874:Hydrostatic Pressure; D008566:Membranes
keywords: downstream processing; filtration; virus clearance; virus filtration