Extended persistence and thermostability of adenovirus 41 in the presence of bacteria.

Aims: This study aimed to examine the persistence of adenovirus 41 (AdV41) in the presence of a specific bacteria, namely Bacillus subtilis. Additionally, our study aimed to determine heat inactivation of AdV41 in the presence of bacteria.

Methods and results: Cultivable methods were utilized to measure the decay of AdV41 in different conditions, including the presence/absence of intestinal bacteria, B. subtilis, and various strains of B. subtilis. In the current study, we first examined the interaction between an intestinal bacterial population and AdV41. We determined that the bacteria were able to extend AdV41 stability at 37°C. As extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are essential to biofilm formation and environmental bacterial persistence, we then tested the enhancing abilities of two different strains of the bacteria B. subtilis, an EPS overproducing strain (EPS+) and an EPS nonproducing strain (EPS-). We determined that the EPS+ strain was able to extend AdV41 persistence and infection at higher temperatures (45 and 56°C).

Conclusions: Overall, this data suggests that specific strains of bacteria can further extend the persistence of AdV41 above other strains. This is also the first study to highlight the importance of EPS in enteric viral stability.