Development of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification method for rapid detection of reticuloendotheliosis virus

A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method for rapid detection of reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) was developed. The method used a set of two pairs of primers to amplify the pol gene for detecting REV, showing high specificity and sensitivity. The REV LAMP method did not cross-react with common avian DNA viruses (Marek's disease virus, chicken anaemia virus, avian leucosis virus of subgroup J). Additionally, the assay could detect different REV strains and had a detection limit of five copies and therefore a higher sensitivity than traditional PCR methods. Furthermore, the efficiency of LAMP for detection REV in clinical samples was comparable to PCR and viral isolation. The procedure of LAMP is simple and does not rely on any special equipment. The detection of REV by LAMP will be useful for detecting and controlling reticuloendotheliosis.