Optimisation of reverse transcriptase loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for rapid detection of Macrobrachium rosenbergii noda virus and extra small virus in Macrobrachium rosenbergii

Two methods for increased specificity and sensitivity in loop-mediated isothermal amplification

The technique of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) utilizes four (or six) primers targeting six (or eight) regions within a fairly small segment of a genome for amplification, with concentration higher than that used in traditional PCR methods. The high concentrations of primers used leads to an increased likelihood of non-specific amplification induced by primer dimers. In this study, a set of LAMP primers were designed targeting the prfA gene sequence of Listeria monocytogenes, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as well as Touchdown LAMP were employed to increase the sensitivity and specificity of the LAMP reactions. The results indicate that the detection limit of this novel LAMP assay with the newly designed primers and additives was 10 fg per reaction, which is ten-fold more sensitive than a commercial Isothermal Amplification Kit and hundred-fold more sensitive than previously reported LAMP assays. This highly sensitive LAMP assay has been shown to detect 11 strains of Listeria monocytogenes, and does not detect other Listeria species (including Listeria innocua and Listeria invanovii), providing some advantages in specificity over commercial Isothermal Amplification Kits and previously reported LAMP assay.

New method for the visual detection of human respiratory syncytial virus using reverse transcription loop-mediated amplification

Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) is a seasonal respiratory pathogen that causes respiratory infection in children and the elderly. A new, reverse transcriptase loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay was developed for the rapid (within 1h), simultaneous detection of A and B group HRSV. Primers specific for groups A and B were designed to amplify the N and L genes of HRSV, respectively. A fluorescent dye, calcein, was used as an indicator for the endpoint visual detection and/or real-time amplification of HRSV RNA. The detection limit of the new method was 281.17 50% tissue culture infective doses (TCID50)/ml for HRSV A and 1.58 TCID50/ml for HRSV B. To evaluate the validity of this method, a comparison with RT-PCR was performed using 77 nasopharyngeal swabs as samples. Both RT-LAMP and RT-PCR detected HRSV in 38 HRSV samples, yielding a positive rate of 49%. Of the RT-LAMP positive samples, 36 (95%) were also positive by RT-PCR, while two were negative by RT-PCR. Among the 36 RT-LAMP and RT-PCR positive samples, 11 belonged to HRSV group A, while 25 belonged to group B. The results show that the new RT-LAMP is simple, rapid and well suited for HRSV diagnosis, especially in a limited-resource setting.

Evaluation of a direct reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification method without RNA extraction for the detection of human enterovirus 71 subgenotype C4 in nasopharyngeal swab specimens

Human enterovirus 71 (EV71) is the major causative agent of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) worldwide and has been associated with neurological complications which resulted in fatalities during recent outbreak in Asia pacific region. A direct reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (direct RT-LAMP) assay using heat-treated samples without RNA extraction was developed and evaluated for the detection of EV71 subgenotype C4 in nasopharyngeal swab specimens. The analytical sensitivity and specificity of the direct RT-LAMP assay were examined. The detection limit of the direct RT-LAMP assays was 1.6 of a 50% tissue culture infective dose (TCID₅₀) per reaction and no cross-reaction was observed with control viruses including Cosackievirus A (CVA) viruses (CVA2,4,5,7,9,10,14,16, and 24), Coxsackievirus B (CVB) viruses (CVB1,2,3,4, and 5) or ECHO viruses (ECHO3,6,11, and 19). The direct RT-LAMP assay was evaluated and compared to both RT-LAMP and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in detecting EV71 infection with 145 nasopharyngeal swab specimens. The clinical performance demonstrated the sensitivity and specificity of direct RT-LAMP was reported to be 90.3% and 100% respectively, compared to RT-LAMP, and 86.83% and 100% respectively, compared to qRT-PCR. These data demonstrated that the direct RT-LAMP assay can potentially be developed for the point of care screening of EV71 infection in China.

Development of a reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification method for detection of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) causes haemagglutination and severe liver damage, with a high mortality rate. To develop a rapid and sensitive method for the surveillance of RHDV, a one-step reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay was established using a set of four primers specific for the VP60 gene segment of RHDV. The established assay was performed at 64°C for 40 min under isothermal conditions, and the results were visualized directly by electrophoresis or as fluorescent signals under ultraviolet light. The detection limit of the RT-LAMP assay was 10 copies of viral RNA per reaction, which was comparable to quantitative real-time RT-PCR, and 100-fold more sensitive than standard RT-PCR. Furthermore, seven viral RNAs of field isolates in China could be detected successfully using this assay. Overall, the newly established RT-LAMP assay indicates the potential usefulness of the technique as a simple, rapid and sensitive procedure, and can visually detect RHDV infection without the need for any specialized equipment.

White Tail Disease of Freshwater Prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii

Macrobrachium rosenbergii is the most important cultured freshwater prawn in the world and it is now farmed on a large scale in many countries. Generally, freshwater prawn is considered to be tolerant to diseases but a disease of viral origin is responsible for severe mortalities in larval, post-larval and juvenile stages of prawn. This viral infection namely white tail disease (WTD) was reported in the island of Guadeloupe in 1995 and later in Martinique (FrenchWest Indies) in Taiwan, the People's Republic of China, India, Thailand, Australia and Malaysia. Two viruses, Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV) and extra small virus-like particle (XSV) have been identified as causative agents of WTD. MrNV is a small icosahedral non-enveloped particle, 26-27 nm in diameter, identified in the cytoplasm of connective cells. XSV is also an icosahedral virus and 15 nm in diameter. Clinical signs observed in the infected animals include lethargy, opaqueness of the abdominal muscle, degeneration of the telson and uropods, and up to 100 % within 4 days. The available diagnostic methods to detect WTD include RT-PCR, dot-blot hybridization, in situ hybridization and ELISA. In experimental infection, these viruses caused 100 % mortality in post-larvae but failed to cause mortality in adult prawns. The reported hosts for these viruses include marine shrimp, Artemia and aquatic insects. Experiments were carried out to determine the possibility of vertical transmission of MrNV and XSV in M. rosenbergii. The results indicate that WTD may be transferred from infected brooders to their offspring during spawning. Replication of MrNV and XSV was investigated in apparently healthy C6/36 Aedes albopictus and SSN-1 cell lines. The results revealed that C6/36 and SSN-1cells were susceptible to these viruses. No work has been carried out on control and prevention of WTD and dsRNA against protein B2 produced RNAi that was able to functionally prevent and reduce mortality in WTD-infected redclaw crayfish.

Monoclonal antibodies against extra small virus show that it co-localizes with Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus

The capsid protein (CP) gene of extra small virus (XSV) expressed in Escherichia coli as a 42 kDa glutathione S-transferase (GST)-fusion protein (GST-XCP) or a 20 kDa His6-fusion protein (His6-XCP) were purified by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), combined, and used to immunize Swiss mice to produce monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). Using dot blot, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) methods, 4 MAbs specific to the XSV CP detected XSV in the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii without cross-reaction to host proteins or to proteins of Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV) or 5 of the most pathogenic viruses of penaeid shrimp. In dot blots, the combined MAbs could detect down to ~10 to 20 fmol µl-1 of purified GST-XCP protein, which was somewhat more sensitive compared to any single MAb. Used in conjunction with an MrNV-specific MAb, white tail disease (WTD) was diagnosed more effectively. However, the sensitivity at which the combined 4 MAbs detected XSV CP was 1000-fold lower than XSV RNA detected by RT-PCR. IHC analysis of M. rosenbergii tissue sections using the MAbs showed XSV infection to co-localize at variable loads with MrNV infection in heart and muscle cells as well as cells of connective tissues in the hepatopancreas. Since XSV histopathology remained prominent in tissues of some prawns in which MAb reactivity for MrNV was low compared to MAb reactivity for XSV, XSV might play some role in WTD severity.

Visual detection of high-risk human papillomavirus genotypes 16, 18, 45, 52, and 58 by loop-mediated isothermal amplification with hydroxynaphthol blue dye

A simple, rapid, sensitive, qualitative, colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) with hydroxynaphthol blue dye (HNB) was established to detect high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes 16, 18, 45, 52, and 58. All initial validation studies with the control DNA proved to be type specific. The colorimetric type-specific LAMP assay could achieve a sensitivity of 10 to 100 copies at 63°C for 65 min, comparable to that of real-time PCR. In order to evaluate the reliability of HPV type-specific LAMP, the assay was further evaluated with HPV DNAs from a panel of 294 clinical specimens whose HPV status was previously determined with a novel one-step typing method with multiplex PCR. The tested panel comprised 108 HPV DNA-negative samples and 186 HPV-DNA-positive samples of 14 genotypes. The results showed that the sensitivity of HPV type-specific LAMP for HPV types 16, 18, 45, 52, and 58 was 100%, 100%, 100%, 100%, and 100%, respectively, and the specificity was 100%, 98.5%, 100%, 98.8%, and 99.2%, respectively, compared with a novel one-step typing method with multiplex PCR. No cross-reactivity with other HPV genotypes was observed. In conclusion, this qualitative and colorimetric LAMP assay has potential usefulness for the rapid screening of HPV genotype 16, 18, 45, 52, and 58 infections, especially in resource-limited hospitals or rural clinics of provincial and municipal regions in China.