Rapid detection of peste des petits ruminants virus by a reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification...

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) is the causative agent of peste des petits ruminants (PPR), an economically important viral disease of small ruminants. In this report, a one-step, single-tube, reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay was developed for the detection of PPRV. A set of six LAMP primers were designed based on the matrix gene sequence of PPRV to amplify the target RNA by incubation at 63°C for 60min with Bst DNA polymerase and reverse transcriptase. The amplified products could be observed by the naked eye. The specificity of the RT-LAMP assay was validated by amplifying eight strains of PPRV isolated in different geographical areas. No cross-reactivity with other related viruses, including rinderpest virus, canine distemper virus and measles virus, was detected. The sensitivity of the assay was similar to that of real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and 10-fold higher than that of conventional RT-PCR. Twenty clinical samples were evaluated by the RT-LAMP assay, and the results were consistent with those of real-time RT-PCR. As a simple, rapid and accurate detection method, this RT-LAMP assay has important potential applications in the clinical diagnosis of PPR and the surveillance of PPRV.