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Updated: May 20, 2026
Detecting SARS-CoV-2 Virus by Reverse Transcription-Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification
Published on: September 8, 2023
Visual detection of the human metapneumovirus using reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification with
Xiang Wang1, Qian Zhang, Fang Zhang
1State Key Laboratory for Molecular Virology and Genetic Engineering, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Ying-Xin Road 100, Xuan Wu District, Beijing, 100052, Peoples Republic of China.
Background:
Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a major cause of acute respiratory infections ranging from wheezing to bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children worldwide. The objective of this study is to develop a visual reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for the detection of hMPV and applied to the clinical samples.
Results:
In this study, visual RT-LAMP assay for hMPV was performed in one step with the addition of hydroxynaphthol blue (HNB), and were used to detect respiratory samples. Six primers, including two outer primers (F3 and B3), two inner primers (FIP, BIP) and two loop primers (LF and LB), were designed for hMPV N gene by the online software. Moreover, the RT-LAMP assay showed good specificity and no cross-reactivity was observed with human rhinovirus (HRV), human respiratory syncytial Virus (RSV), or influenza virus A/PR/8/34 (H1N1). The detection limit of the RT-LAMP assay was approximately ten viral RNA copies, lower than that of traditional reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) 100 RNA copies. In the 176 nasopharyngeal samples, 23 (13.1%) were conformed as hMPV positive by RT-LAMP, but 18 (10.2%) positive by RT-PCR.
Conclusion:
Compared with conventional RT-PCR, the visual hMPV RT-LAMP assay performed well in the aspect of detect time, sensitivity, specificity and visibility. It is anticipated that the RT-LAMP will be used for clinical tests in hospital or field testing during outbreaks and in emergency.
