Poliovirus in a Water Supply—JOIN DISCUSSION

The isolation of poliovirus from well water in Monroe County, Mich., is a useful, if ominous, finding. If the laboratory capabilities are available, researchers and public officials can examine both self-supplied and community water supplies to see if conditions similar to the one described in this Joint Discussion exist in other locations. In the first article, a public-health official discusses the construction of the well, the geological features of the area, and the operation from which the water samples (for isolation of the virus) were taken. The second article illuminates the laboratory and research techniques involved in the actual isolation of the poliovirus.