SEDL / STP / STP1102-EB / STP17620S

Statistical Design and Analysis of Assays for Monitoring Waterborne Viruses

Wymer, LJ
senior statistician, Computer Sciences Corporation, at the U.S. EPA, Cincinnati, OH

Pages: 15    Published: Jan 1991

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Abstract

An assumption often made in assaying for plaqueforming viruses is that the formation of plaques among several cell culture bottles will follow a Poisson distribution. Examining the results of several virus assays using Fisher's index of dispersion, the assumption of a Poisson distribution was found to be warranted in most cases, but not always. The distribution of plaque counts will affect the statistical evaluation of such data; confidence limits for virus titer based on Poisson statistics will be appropriate in many instances. For purposes of sample design, an approach based on the Poisson assumption is recommended.