Detection of Fusarium graminearum DNA using a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) of DNA is a simple, cost effective, and rapid method for the specific detection of genomic DNA using a set of six oligonucleotide primers with eight binding sites hybridizing specifically to different regions of a target gene, and a thermophilic DNA polymerase from Geobacillus stearothermophilus for DNA amplification. The method has been applied in various assays for the diagnosis of bacterial and viral infections of humans and animals, sexing of bovine and swine embryos, and in the detection of bacteria from environmental samples. Only recently, first applications for fungal organisms were published. During the current study a LAMP assay was developed for the specific detection of Fusarium graminearum, the major causative agent of Fusarium head blight of small cereals and producer of the mycotoxins deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, and zearalenone. The assay was based on the gaoA gene (galactose oxidase) of the fungus. Amplification of DNA during the reaction was indirectly detected in situ by using calcein fluorescence as a marker without the necessity of time-consuming electrophoretic analysis. The assay was optimized for rapidness, specificity, and sensitivity and was shown to detect the presence of less than 2pg of purified target DNA per reaction within 30 min. Within 132 fungal species tested, exclusively DNA isolated from cultures of F. graminearum (lineages 1-9) resulted in a fluorescent signal after amplification with the LAMP assay. The method was demonstrated to be useful in the analysis of fungal cultures by direct analysis of surface scrapings from agar plate cultures, direct testing of single infected barley grains, and detection of F. graminearum in total genomic DNA isolated from bulk samples of ground wheat grains. Results obtained indicate that LAMP offers an interesting new assay format for the rapid and specific DNA-based detection and identification of agriculturally important toxigenic fungi in pure cultures and in contaminated sample materials and therefore presents an alternative to PCR-based assays.