Rapid and simple detection of Japanese encephalitis virus by reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification combined with a lateral flow dipstick

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a major cause of viral encephalitis in geographical areas, such as Asia and Western Pacific, where it is a threat to human and animal health. To control this disease, it is necessary to develop a rapid, simple, accurate method for diagnosis. In this study, a method based on reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) coupled with a lateral flow dipstick (LFD) has been developed to detect JEV (JEV RT-LAMP-LFD). The entire assay can be completed within 70 min, and in this study, no false positive results were observed when other pathogens were tested, indicating that the assay is a highly specific method for the detection of JEV. Additionally, the sensitivity of the RT-LAMP-LFD assay for SA14-14-2 strain was 50 pg of RNA, which was similar to that of RT-PCR and RT-LAMP combined with gel electrophoresis, and was 10-fold more sensitive than RT-LAMP combined with calcein. The limit of detection for this assay was 5 pg of RNA. In addition, no false positive results were obtained with 14 serum samples. Our results indicate that this RT-LAMP-LFD assay will be of great value for JEV infection testing due to its rapid and highly specific and sensitive properties.