Detection methods for rice viruses by a reverse- transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplifi cation (Rt-lamp)

Abstract

Developing a quick and accurate method to diagnose rice viruses in host plants and in vector insects is very important to control virus diseases of rice. A reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplifi cation (RT-LAMP) assay, one of the most promising molecular diagnostic methods, was established to detect nine viruses, including eight RNA viruses and one DNA virus, in infected rice plants and the viruliferous vector insects. The sensitivities of the assays were either higher than or similar to those of one-step RT-PCR. With a combination of rapid RNA extraction and a RT-LAMP assay, these nine viruses were detected within 2 h from infected rice plants and the viruliferous insects without expensive or unusual equipment. This RT-LAMP method for rice viruses can therefore be adopted not only for diagnosis but also to study the epidemiology and molecular pathology of rice viruses.