Rapid detection of tobacco mosaic virus using the reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification method

Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) can cause a severe disease that is capable of greatly reducing tobacco quality and yield. In this study, a one-step reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay was developed for detection of TMV. The concentration of Mg(2+), reaction temperature and reaction time of the RT-LAMP were optimized to 5 mM, 65°C, and 60 min, respectively. The detection limit of the method was 100 times higher than that of RT-PCR. Visual inspection of RT-LAMP amplification demonstrated that positive and negative reactions exhibit distinctly different colours in daylight. Our results demonstrate that the method is stable, sensitive and specific.