3.1. Optimisation of protocol for AS virus enumeration
by FCM
AS samples incubated with dispersants displayed higher virus
counts than untreated samples (Fig. 1a). The most effective
treatment, based on the largest increase in virus abundance
from its paired control, was Tween 80 (5%) and SP (10 mM);
1.52 ± 0.19 109 treated and 1.15 ± 0.12 109 control (ANOVA:
p ¼ 0.05). 8 min had a non-significant
negative effect on virus counts (ANOVA: p ¼ >0.05) (Fig. 1b).
Virus counts obtained from DNase treated samples gave
contrasting results (Fig. 2a). Samples treated with 1500U/mL
gave significantly lower counts than those in untreated samples
(1.31 ± 0.14 109 and 1.95 ± 0.05 109 respectively,
ANOVA: p ¼ 0.05) (Fig. 2a).
Thehighest viruscountwasachievedusingSGII at a dilution
of 0.5 104 (2.3 ± 0.05 109) (Fig. 2b), although countswere not
significantly higher than those obtained using SG I, SG or SG
IþII (ANOVA: p¼>0.05).Nolarge difference in GFLor SSCsingle
was detected between the three stains, thus distinguishing