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Home / Equine Research Bank / Parasitol Res / Comparative evaluation of the sensitivity of LAMP, PCR and i...
Parasitology research2007; 100(5); 1165-1168; doi: 10.1007/s00436-006-0430-6

Comparative evaluation of the sensitivity of LAMP, PCR and in vitro culture methods for the diagnosis of equine piroplasmosis.

Abstract: The sensitivity of LAMP, PCR and in vitro culture methods for the detection of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi was evaluated using tenfold serially diluted culture parasites. On day 1 post-culture, both T. equi and B. caballi parasites could only be observed at 1% parasite dilution from the in vitro culture method, whereas LAMP could detect up to 1 x 10(-3)% of both T. equi and B. caballi parasite dilutions, whilst PCR could detect 1 x 10(-3)% T. equi and 1 x 10(-1)% B. caballi parasite dilutions. On day 7 post-culture, the detection limit for T. equi and B. caballi in the in vitro culture increased up to 1 x 10(-6)%, whereas LAMP detection limit increased to 1 x 10(-10)% for both parasites, whilst the PCR detection limit increased to 1 x 10(-10)% and 1 x 10(-6)% for T. equi and B. caballi, respectively. Furthermore, LAMP and PCR amplified the T. equi DNA extracted from the organs of an experimentally infected horse. This study further validates LAMP as an alternative molecular diagnostic tool, which can be used in the diagnosis of early infections of equine piroplasmosis and together with PCR can also be used as supplementary methods during post-mortems.
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Publication Date: 2007-01-11 PubMed ID: 17216488DOI: 10.1007/s00436-006-0430-6Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Comparative Study
  • Evaluation Study
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The study compares the sensitivity of LAMP, PCR and in vitro culture methods for detecting equine diseases, Theileria equi and Babesia caballi. The results show that both LAMP and PCR methods were significantly more sensitive, with LAMP emerging as a promising diagnostic tool for early infections and both being effective for post-mortems.

Research Methodology

  • The study was conducted using tenfold serially diluted culture parasites of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi.
  • The detection capacities of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and in vitro culture methods were compared.

Key Findings

  • In the initial stage of the experiment (day 1 post-culture) the in vitro culture method could only detect parasites at 1% dilution. Both types of parasites were observable at this dilution level.
  • At the same stage, both LAMP and PCR methods showed higher sensitivity, being able to detect lower concentrations of parasites. LAMP could detect up to 1 x 10(-3)% for both T. equi and B. caballi, while PCR could detect 1 x 10(-3)% T. equi and 1 x 10(-1)% B. caballi.
  • On day 7 post-culture, sensitivity for the in vitro culture method increased, allowing for detection at concentrations of 1 x 10(-6)% for both parasites. LAMP continued to outperform the other methods, detecting parasites at 1 x 10(-10)%. PCR also improved, detecting T. equi at 1 x 10(-10)% and B. caballi at 1 x 10(-6)%.
  • Furthermore, both LAMP and PCR methods were successful in amplifying T. equi DNA extracted from the organs of an infected horse, demonstrating their potential utility during post-mortems.

Implications

  • The results of the study validate LAMP as an incredibly sensitive tool in the diagnosis of early infections of equine piroplasmosis, a common disease in horses caused by protozoan parasites. LAMP’s high sensitivity enables detection even when parasite concentrations are very low.
  • Both LAMP and PCR methods also displayed utility in post-mortem evaluations, being able to amplify T. equi DNA from organ samples. This suggests these methods could aid in confirming diagnoses and understanding the spread and impact of the disease within the horse’s body.

Cite This Article

APA
Alhassan A, Govind Y, Tam NT, Thekisoe OM, Yokoyama N, Inoue N, Igarashi I. (2007). Comparative evaluation of the sensitivity of LAMP, PCR and in vitro culture methods for the diagnosis of equine piroplasmosis. Parasitol Res, 100(5), 1165-1168. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-006-0430-6

Publication

Parasitology research
ISSN: 0932-0113
NlmUniqueID: 8703571
Country: Germany
Language: English
Volume: 100
Issue: 5
Pages: 1165-1168

Researcher Affiliations

Alhassan, Andy
  • National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan.
Govind, Yadav
    Tam, Nguyen Thanh
      Thekisoe, Oriel M M
        Yokoyama, Naoaki
          Inoue, Noboru
            Igarashi, Ikuo

              MeSH Terms

              • Animals
              • Babesia / isolation & purification
              • Babesiosis / diagnosis
              • Babesiosis / veterinary
              • Culture Techniques
              • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
              • Horses / parasitology
              • Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques
              • Sensitivity and Specificity
              • Theileria / isolation & purification

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