Application of LAMP in the rapid detection of aquatic animal pathogens

In recent years, a novel isothermal method of nucleic acid amplification known as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) has been developed. The LAMP method employs four primers which specifically recognize six distinct sequences on the target DNA and a Bst polymerase that has a strand displacement activity. The target DNA can be amplified from a few original copies to 109～1010 copies in less than an hour under isothermal conditions ranging from 60 to 65℃. The LAMP method has quite a few advantages such as high specificity, isothermal conditions, high sensitivity, simple operation, and simple detection for the LAMP reaction products. The LAMP method has been used for the rapid detection of aquatic animal pathogens (bacteria, virus, parasite). This review briefly summarizes the principle of LAMP, design of primers, and the application for the rapid detection of aquatic animal pathogens.