Direct loop mediated isothermal amplification on filters for quantification of Dehalobacter in groundwater

• A field-able method termed direct filter amplification was developed.
• Following biomass enrichment from water, real-time amplification is performed directly on filters.
• It allows genetic diagnostics without elution from filters, DNA extraction, or purification.
• Using Dehalobacter cells spiked into groundwater, multiple methods were compared.
• A sensitivity of 102Dehalobacter cells per 100 mL was observed in < 60 min.

Nucleic acid amplification of biomarkers is increasingly used to monitor microbial activity and assess remedial performance in contaminated aquifers. Previous studies described the use of filtration, elution, and direct isothermal amplification (i.e. no DNA extraction and purification) as a field-able means to quantify Dehalococcoides spp. in groundwater. This study expands previous work with direct loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) for the detection and quantification of Dehalobacter spp. in groundwater. Experiments tested amplification of DNA with and without crude lysis and varying concentrations of humic acid. Three separate field-able methods of biomass concentration with eight aquifer samples were also tested, comparing direct LAMP with traditional DNA extraction and quantitative PCR (qPCR). A new technique was developed where filters were amplified directly within disposable Gene-Z chips. The direct filter amplification (DFA) method eliminated an elution step and provided a detection limit of 102Dehalobacter cells per 100 mL. LAMP with crudely lysed Dehalobacter had a negligible effect on threshold time and sensitivity compared to lysed samples. The LAMP assay was more resilient than traditional qPCR to humic acid in sample, amplifying with up to 100 mg per L of humic acid per reaction compared to 1 mg per L for qPCR. Of the tested field-able concentrations methods, DFA had the lowest coefficient of variation among Dehalobacter spiked groundwater samples and lowest threshold time indicating high capture efficiency and low inhibition. While demonstrated with Dehalobacter, the DFA method can potentially be used for a number of applications requiring field-able, rapid (< 60 min) and highly sensitive quantification of microorganisms in environmental water samples.