Several final sewage effluents from the Denton Disposal Plant were demonstrated to contain Poliovirus types II and III. Pleated encapsulated filters at pH3.5 enhanced the recovery of the Poliovirus at a higher tier in comparison with nitrocellulose filter (Millipore) and glass fiber filter of pore size 0.45u. This thesis explores problems that face us today in our quest to eliminate viral pathogens from the natural and waste water needed for human, domestic, and industrial consumption. Preliminary experiments concern the use of immunofluorescence, and immunodiffusion techniques as a means of poliovirus identification, which invariably suggests that these techniques may be useful as rapid screening procedures of water samples for presence of potentially pathogenic viruses.

The thermophilic bacterium designated NT-7 was shown to reduce acetylene to ethylene at 35 C. It was found that the organism does not reduce acetylene when it is grown in Burk's medium with 0.3 per cent (w/v) NH4 N0 3 . Reduction of acetylene at 55 C could not be demonstrated due to insolubility of acetylene in Burk's medium at this temperature. It was shown that the bacterium NT-7 can not grow in the absence of atmospheric nitrogen at 55 C when combined nitrogen is not supplied with the nutrient medium. All these characteristics were used to prove that NT-7 is a nitrogen fixing bacterium. Identification procedures confirmed a previous finding that the organisms are rod shaped cells possessing endoepores. Further tests showed that NT-7 is obligately aerobic and motile.