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

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 60 min 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.