Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for detection of Theileria sergenti infection targeting the p33 gene

Theileria is a widespread, intraerythrocytic tick-borne protozoan parasite. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a novel nucleic acid amplification method offering rapid, accurate and cost-effective diagnosis of infectious diseases. In this study, the LAMP method was developed for detecting Theileria sergenti. Four primers were designed from six distinct regions of the target gene, a 33-kDa major piroplasm surface protein (p33) gene in T. sergenti. The specificity assay showed it was specific for T. sergenti whilst the LAMP was able to detect a parasitemia level of 0.000002% which was more sensitive than conventional PCR. 154 field samples from water buffalo and 159 field samples from cattle were analyzed using the LAMP method. About 60.4% (96/159) of cattle samples were positive by LAMP, compared to 30.0% (46/154) of water buffalo samples that were positive. Compared with conventional PCR, the LAMP method exhibited higher detection abilities than conventional PCR. All the results indicated that the LAMP assay is a simple and convenient diagnostic tool for theileriosis.