Development and Evaluation of a Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification(LAMP) Assay for Rapid Detection of Chinese Giant Salamander Ranavirus

Loop-mediated isothermal ampliifcation （LAMP） is a novel nucleic acid diagnostic method that can amplify rapidly a target template under isothermal conditions. In this study, a LAMP assay for rapid detection of Chinese giant salamander ranavirus（CGSRV） was developed from culture isolates and clinical samples. The LAMP assay was developed by designing one set of four speciifc primers, targeting the major capsid protein （MCP） gene of CGSRV. Reaction time and temperature were optimal for 40 min at 62°C. The developed LAMP assay is speciifc and highly sensitive for CGSRV detection, the detection limit could reach about 5 copies of cloned viral genomic fragments. The sensitivity of the LAMP assay was about 1000 and 10-fold higher than that of both conventional and nested PCR, respectively. The LAMP ampliifcation produces a typical ladder-like pattern of products on an agarose gel that can be visually inspected after addition of ethidium bromide. The LAMP assay was evaluated further with clinical samples, and the results indicated the suitability and simplicity of the test as a rapid diagnostic tool for the detection of CGSRV.

The Development of a Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) Procedure for Plague Diagnostic

Plague caused by Yersinia pestis is one of the infectious diseases subject to the International Health Regulations (IHR). Permanent monitoring of the focal plague areas is mandatory in order to enable prompt control measures to prevent the spread of the disease. Therefore, the availability of efficient diagnosis tests is of paramount importance. Here, we describe a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)-based procedure for rapid Y. pestis detection. We constructed a set of LAMP primers, which were used in assays to establish the reaction conditions that would lead to the quick visualization of the results by evaluating the test tube with the naked eye. The primers were specifically designed to target the caf1 gene located on pFra/Tox (pMT), a prototypical plasmid of Y. pestis. The LAMP procedure was performed at 65°C for 45 min in a water bath and allowed for the detection of at least 10 pg of bacterial DNA. Due to its simplicity, specificity, sensitivity and rapidity, the LAMP technique is an additional tool that may be implemented in routine plague diagnoses, especially in emergencies.

Preliminary investigation and detection based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification(LAMP)of phytoplasmas associated with diseases in B.napus L.

In the last decade,some disease occurred on our experimental farms that had caused serious losses.They were not caused by fungi,bacteria or viruses.By loop-mediated isothermal amplification(LAMP)technique,the detection results pointed to the possible pathogen as phytoplasma.The investigation results implied that phytoplasmas could cause more than 13 kinds of symptoms in almost all parts of plants in B.napus L.,including witches’broom,multi-stems,aggregate main inflorescences,and flat stems.The incidences of these phytoplasma-associated diseases in our experimental farms rose from 1.61%in 2010 to 6.00%in 2021.Some phytoplasma infected plants died without any growing points.These studies would be helpful for detecting phytoplasmas diseases,selecting disease resistant germplasm and improving varieties with disease resistances in B.napus L.

One New Method of Nucleic Acid Amplification-Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification of DNA

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a novel nucleic acid amplification method, which amplifies DNA with high specificity, sensitivity, rapidity and efficiency under isothermal conditions using a set of four specially designed primers and a Bst DNA polymerase with strand displacement activity. The basic principle, characteristics, development of LAMP and its applications are summarized in this article.

Rapid,sensitive detection of Vibrio anguillarum using loop-mediated isothermal amplification

Vibrio anguillarum is an important bacterial pathogen of aquatic organisms and a significant problem in aquatic farming. The rapid detection and identification of V. anguillarum, and other pathogens that infect marine organisms, is crucial to effective disease management. In this study, we developed a loop-mediated amplification （LAMP） assay to detect V. anguillarum in an hour in a single tube without the need for thermal cycling. Conserved regions of the metalloproteinase （empA） gene of V. anguillarum served as the targets for primer design. A fragment of the empA gene was amplified at 65℃ in the presence of the primer mixture and Bst DNA polymerase. In the optimized LAMP assay, 6.7 pg of V. anguillarum DNA could be detected. Six strains of V. anguillarum and 17 strains of non-V, anguillarum bacteria were used in this study to evaluate the species specificity of the primers. The six V. anguillarum strains gave a positive result in the LAMP assay. This method was also validated in V. anguillarum-infected fish. This LAMP method is more sensitive than PCR in the detection of V. anguillarum and shows good species specificity. The LAMP assay is therefore an effective method for the quick detection of V. anguillarum both in the laboratory and in the field.

Development and Evaluation of a Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification Assay for the Rapid Detection and Identification of Pectobacterium carotovorum on Celery in the Field

Pectobacterium carotovorum is the causal agent of bacterial soft rot in a wide range of vegetable host species.Once P.carotovorum infects the plant,the spread of the disease is difficult to control.In this study,a rapid and sensitive method based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification(LAMP)was developed for detecting P.carotovorum in celery with soft rot using a primer set designed from the pmrA conserved sequence of P.carotovorum.The specificity of the LAMP primer set for P.carotovorum was extensively validated on both P.carotovorum strains and nontarget strains.The sensitivity was 1 pg of P.carotovorum genomic DNA,which demonstrated 10 times more sensitive than the conventional PCR assay.LAMP was also used to detect P.carotovorum in bacterial suspension.The lowest detection concentration was 104 CFU·mL^−1.In addition,a LAMP assay,in conjunction with a crude DNA extraction method,was successfully performed on P.carotovorum-infected samples derived from both artificially and naturally infected plants.In summary,the LAMP assay established in this study constitutes a simple,sensitive,and rapid method for the detection of P.carotovorum,and has potential application in the control of celery soft rot disease through early detection.

Development of a Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Assay for Porcine Circovirus Type 2

In this study, the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method was used to develop a rapid and simple detection system for porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2). According to the PCV2 sequences published in GenBank, multiple LAMP primers were designed targeting conserved sequences of PCV2. Using the DNA extracted from PCV2 isolates HUN-09 and SD-09 as the template, LAMP reactions in a PCV2 LAMP system was performed, the amplification products were detected by adding SYBR Green I and could be observed directly by the naked eye. The results showed highly-efficient and specific amplification in 30 min at 63°C with a LAMP real-time turbidimeter. Furthermore, PCV2 DNA templates, with a detection limit of 5.5×10-5 ng of nucleic acid, indicated that this assay was highly sensitive. The results obtained with the naked eye after SYBR Green I staining were consistent with those detected by the real-time turbidimeter, showing the potential simplicity of interpretation of the assay results. The LAMP assay appeared to have greater accuracy than PCR and virus isolation for the analysis of 18 clinical samples. In addition it offers higher specificity and sensitivity, shorter reaction times and simpler procedures than the currently available methods of PCV2 detection. It is therefore a promising tool for the effective and efficient detection of PCV2.

Sensitive and rapid detection of two toxic microalgae Alexandrium by loop-mediated isothermal amplification

A loop-mediated isothermal amplification （LAMP） assay was designed and evaluated for rapid de- tection of the toxic microalgae Alexandrium catenella and A. minutum, which can produce paralytic shellfish poisoning （PSP）. Two sets of four specific primers targeting these two species were derived from the sequence of internal transcribed spacer （ITS） of ribosomal DNA. The method worked well in less than an hour under isothermal conditions of 65℃. LAMP specificity was validated in closely related algae as a comparison, suggesting the strict specificity of the LAMP primers. Two visual inspection approaches were feasible to interpret the positive or negative results. The detection lim- its of A. catenella and A. minutum samples using the LAMP assay were found to be 5.6 and 4.5 pg DNA, respectively. The sensitivity of this LAMP assay was 10 or 100-fold higher than Polymerase Chain Reaction （PCR） method in detecting the two microalgae. These characteristics of species specificity, sensitivity, and rapidity suggest that this method has the potentiality in the monitoring of red tide caused by A. catenella and A. minutum.

Development of an in situ loop-mediated isothermal amplification technique for chromosomal localization of DNA sequences

In situ loop-mediated isothermal amplification （in situ LAMP） combines in situ hybridization and loop-mediated isothermal amplification （LAMP） techniques for chromosomal localization of DNA sequences. In situ LAMP is a method that is generally more specific and sensitive than conventional techniques such as fluorescence in situ hybridization （FISH）, primed in situ labeling （PRINS）, and cycling primed in situ labeling （C-PRINS）. Here, we describe the development and application of in situ LAMP to identify the chromosomal localization of DNA sequences. To benchmark this technique, we successfully applied this technique to localize the major ribosomal RNA gene on the chromosomes of the Zhikong scallop （ Chlarnys farreri）.

Combination of Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Assay and Nested PCR for Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Human Serum Samples

A set of universal loop-mediated isothermal amplification （LAMP） primers targeting the flo gene was designed to detect Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato （B. burgdorferi s.I.） in human samples. The sensitivity of LAMP was 20 copies/reaction, and the assay did not detect false positives among 11 other related bacteria. A positive LAMP result was obtained for 9 of the 24 confirmed cases and for 12 of 94 suspected cases. The positive rate of LAMP was the same as that of nested PCR. The LAMP is a useful diagnostic method that can be developed for rapid detection of B. burgdorferi s.I. in human sera. Combination of the LAMP and nested PCR was more sensitive for detecting B. burgdorferi s.I. in human serum samples.

Performance of the procedure for ultra-rapid extraction and loop-mediated isothermal amplifcation (PURE-LAMP) method to detect malaria in Haiti

Background Malaria continues to cause burden in various parts of the world.Haiti,a Caribbean country,is among those aiming to eliminate malaria within a few years.Two surveys were conducted in Haiti during which we aimed to evaluate the performance of the simple and rapid procedure for ultra-rapid extraction-loop-mediated isothermal amplifcation(PURE-LAMP)method with dried blood spots as an alternative diagnostic method for malaria in the context of low to very low rates of transmission.Methods Febrile and afebrile people were recruited from three administrative divisions within Haiti:Nippes,Sud and Grand’Anse,during the summers of 2017(early August to early September)and 2018(late July to late August).Their blood samples were tested by microscopy,rapid diagnostic tests(RDT),PURE-LAMP and nested PCR to detect Plasmodium infection.Sensitivity,specifcity,positive and negative predictive values and kappa statistics were estimated with the nested PCR results as the gold standard.Results Among 1074 samples analyzed,a positive rate of 8.3%was calculated based on the nested PCR results.Among febrile participants,the rates in 2017 and 2018 were 14.6%and 1.4%,respectively.Three positives were detected among 172 afebrile participants in 2018 by PURE-LAMP and nested PCR,and all three were from the same locality.There was no afebrile participants recruited in 2017.The PURE-LAMP,RDT and microscopy had respective sensitivities of 100%,85.4%and 49.4%.All of the testing methods had specifcities over 99%.Conclusions This study confrmed the high performance of the PURE-LAMP method to detect Plasmodium infection with dried blood spots and recommends its use in targeted mass screening and treatment activities in low endemic areas of malaria.

Charting the challenges behind the testing of COVID-19 in developing countries:Nepal as a case study

The infrastructure needed to detect Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)infection(COVID-19)that complies completely withWHO guidelines is lacking across many parts of the globe,especially in developing countries,including Nepal.We outline the problems faced by such countries and suggest that the national and international community should collaborate in the development and adoption of novel protocols for the rapid detection of COVID-19 according to locally available infrastructure,in order to fight against the outbreak.