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

A Review on the Methods Used for the Detection and Diagnosis of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus (RHDV)

Since the early 1980s, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has been threatened by the rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD). The disease is caused by a lagovirus of the family Caliciviridae, the rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV). The need for detection, identification and further characterization of RHDV led to the development of several diagnostic tests. Owing to the lack of an appropriate cell culture system for in vitro propagation of the virus, much of the methods involved in these tests contributed to our current knowledge on RHD and RHDV and to the development of vaccines to contain the disease. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the RHDV diagnostic tests used since the first RHD outbreak and that include molecular, histological and serological techniques, ranging from simpler tests initially used, such as the hemagglutination test, to the more recent and sophisticated high-throughput sequencing, along with an overview of their potential and their limitations.

Detection of melon necrotic spot virus by one-step reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay

Melon necrotic spot virus (MNSV) can cause significant economic losses due to decreased quality in cucurbit crops. The current study is the first to use reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) for detection of MNSV. A set of four LAMP primers was designed based on the coat protein gene sequence of MNSV, and a RT-LAMP reaction was successfully performed for 1 h at 62°C. The results of RT-LAMP showed high specificity for MNSV and no cross-reaction with other viruses. Compared to traditional reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR), the RT-LAMP assay was 10³-fold more sensitive in detecting MNSV. Due to its sensitivity, speed and visual assessment, RT-LAMP is appropriate for detecting MNSV in the laboratory.

Molecular methods in detection and epidemiologic studies of rabbit and hare viruses: a review

Various PCR-based assays for rabbit viruses have gradually replaced traditional virologic assays, such as virus isolation, because they offer high-throughput analysis, better test sensitivity and specificity, and allow vaccine and wild-type virus strains to be fully typed and differentiated. In addition, PCR is irreplaceable in the detection of uncultivable or fastidious rabbit pathogens or those occurring in low quantity in a tested sample. We provide herein an overview of the current state of the art in the molecular detection of lagomorph viral pathogens along with details of their targeted gene or nucleic acid sequence and recommendations for their application. Apart from the nucleic acids-based methods used for identification and comprehensive typing of rabbit viruses, novel methods such as microarray, next-generation sequencing, and mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) could also be employed given that they offer greater throughput in sample screening for viral pathogens. Molecular methods should be provided with an appropriate set of controls, including an internal amplification control, to confirm the validity of the results obtained.