Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the diagnosis of fasciolosis in sheep and its application under field conditions.
- Journal:
- Parasites & vectors
- Year:
- 2016
- Authors:
- Martínez-Valladares, María & Rojo-Vázquez, Francisco Antonio
- Affiliation:
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine · Spain
Plain-English summary
Researchers have developed a new test called the LAMP assay to quickly and accurately diagnose a liver fluke infection (fasciolosis) in sheep by checking their poop. They found that this test works just as well as the traditional PCR test, but it gives results much faster—about 1 hour and 10 minutes compared to 3 hours for the PCR. In their study, they confirmed the presence of the liver fluke in infected sheep before and after treatment with a medication called triclabendazole. The LAMP test showed that two sheep still had the infection 30 days after treatment, while the PCR test only confirmed one of those cases. Overall, the LAMP assay appears to be a promising alternative for diagnosing this infection in sheep.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a very specific, efficient, and rapid gene amplification procedure in which the reaction can run at a constant temperature. In the current study we have developed a LAMP assay to improve the diagnosis of Fasciola spp. in the faeces of sheep. FINDINGS: After the optimisation of the LAMP assay we have shown similar results between this technique and the standard PCR using the outer primers of the LAMP reaction. In both cases the limit of detection was 10 pg; also, the diagnosis of fasciolosis was confirmed during the first week post-infection in experimental infected sheep by both techniques. In eight naturally infected sheep, the infection with F. hepatica was confirmed in all animals before a treatment with triclabendazole and on day 30 post treatment in two sheep using the LAMP assay; however, when we carried out the standard PCR with the outer primers, the results before treatment were the same but on day 30 post-treatment the infection was only confirmed in one out of the two sheep. On the other hand, the standard PCR took around 3 h to obtain a result, comparing with 1 h and 10 min for the LAMP assay. CONCLUSIONS: The LAMP assay described here could be a good alternative to conventional diagnostic methods to detect F. hepatica in faeces since it solves the drawbacks of the standard PCR.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26847130/