Development of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for rapid detection of bovine parvovirus

A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was developed for detection of bovine parvovirus (BPV) DNA. Four primers were designed to recognize six distinct regions on the target DNA based on a highly conserved sequence in the VP2 region of the BPV genome. The optimized LAMP reaction conditions were 8 mM Mg2+, 1.2 mM betaine, and an incubation at 63 degrees C for 45 min. After amplification the products were detected either by observing a ladder pattern following gel electrophoresis, observation of turbidity, or a color change with the addition of SYBR Green I to the reaction tube. The detection limit of the LAMP assay was 9 copies of BPV-DNA and was 100 times more sensitive than conventional PCR. A ladder pattern of bands after gel electrophoresis was observed for only BPV isolates and showed that the BPV LAMP assay was highly specific without any cross-reactivity with other related viruses. The LAMP assay was evaluated further using 59 field samples and the results were comparable to conventional PCR. The LAMP assay is a simple, rapid and economic detection method; it can provide a useful technique suitable for detection of BPV infection in both field conditions and laboratory settings. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.