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 detection 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 C.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 limits 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.     

孔石莼(Ulva pertusa)LAMP-LFD快速检测方法的建立

采用环介导等温扩增技术(loop-mediated isothermal amplification,LAMP)进行核酸扩增,凭借横向流动试纸条(lateral flow dipstick,LFD)完成扩增产物检测,建立了可快速检测孔石莼(Ulva pertusa)的LAMP-LFD方法。该方法首先在孔石莼的内转录间隔区序列(internal transcribed spacer,ITS)的8个种内保守区域设计6条特异性引物(上游内引物由生物素标记),进行由生物素标记的LAMP反应;同时,在两条外引物的有效扩增区段内设计1条异硫氰酸荧光素(fluorescein isothiocyanate,FITC)标记的探针,生物素标记的LAMP产物与FITC标记的探针特异性杂交后,在LFD上完成结果显示。优化后LAMP的反应条件为63°C反应50min,加上探针杂交与LFD检测共需60min。结果表明,利用该LAMP-LFD方法可特异性地检出孔石莼,对浒苔(Ulva prolifera)等9种常见藻类的检测均呈阴性。利用该方法最低可检测到3.04×10~(–2) pg/μL的孔石莼基因组DNA,是以LAMP外引物进行的常规PCR方法的1000倍。针对一定数量的实际样本的检测结果表明,LAMP-LFD方法与传统的形态学观察的结果一致。因此,本研究建立的孔石莼LAMP-LFD快速检测方法,具有特异性强、灵敏度高、操作简便等优点,有望成为我国东部沿海孔石莼快速检测和定期监测的有效技术手段。     

Efficient detection of pathogen virus in sand dabs, Paralichthys olivaceus using loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) and marine birnavirus (MABV) are the causative pathogens for some of the most explosive epidemics of emerging viral diseases in many Asian countries, leading to huge economic losses in aquaculture. Rapid molecular detection for surveillance or diagnosis has been a critical component in reducing the prevalence of pathogen infection. The loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) of DNA is currently one of the most commonly used molecular diagnostic tools, as it is simple, quick, and easy to amplify target DNA under isothermal conditions. In the present study, a novel and highly specific LAMP assay for the sensitive and rapid detection of VHSV and MABV infection in fish was developed. Using a set of synthesized primers matching a specific region of the genome, the efficiency and specificity of the LAMP assay were optimized in terms of the reaction temperature and DNA polymerase concentration, as they are the main determinants of the sensitivity and specificity of the LAMP assay. In particular, we demonstrated that our assay could be applied to efficient detection of VHSV and MABV infection in the wild fish, Paralichthys olivaceus. Our results demonstrate the simplicity and convenience of this method for the detection of viral infection in aquatic organisms.