Fabrication and Application of Levan–PVA Hydrogel for Effective Influenza Virus Capture

To prevent the transmission of pathogenic microorganisms such as the influenza virus, efficient pathogen-capturing materials are required. Here, we report a new pathogen-capturing and recovery material using levan polysaccharide. We fabricated hydrogels by blending levan and poly­(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and by using glutaraldehyde as a cross-linking agent. Fabricated levan–PVA hydrogels have a high water solubility and water adsorption ability. SEM observations showed that levan–PVA hydrogels have a 3D porous structure. We confirmed by RT-PCR analysis that the influenza virus capture efficiency of levan–PVA hydrogels is higher than that of commercial cotton swabs. Moreover, we confirmed that levan–PVA hydrogels on gauze as a filter material effectively captured bioaerosol samples. Therefore, levan–PVA hydrogels are expected to serve as simple and efficient pathogen capture and recovery materials.