Enhancing Biosecurity in Mollusc Aquaculture: A Review of Current Isothermal Nucleic Acid Detection Methods

Abstract

The growing human population has increased the need for food beyond what terrestrial sources can provide. This boosts aquaculture demand for molluscs, fish, and crustaceans. Molluscs are popular for their nutritional benefits, making them a profitable industry. Despite a 3% annual growth in mollusc populations, recent high mortality rates and population losses due to poor feeding practices and water pollution have made them more disease-prone. Limited treatment options exist for mollusc diseases in aquaculture systems. Hence, developing rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective diagnostic tools for field use is essential to identify and prevent infections promptly. Recently developed isothermal nucleic acid amplification technologies, like loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), offer rapid results within an hour. This review examines these isothermal diagnostic techniques for mollusc pathogens and their potential for field application.