Objective: To establish a novel improved loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technique to detect hepatitis A virus (HAV).
Methods: A novel improved LAMP assay based on the addition of an acceleration primer was developed for hepatitis A virus nucleotide acid detection.
Results: Precision and reproducibility analysis proved its high stability and reliability. Comparison between the improved and conventional LAMP assays revealed that the former was more sensitive with a detection limit of 5 TCID50/ml. The novel detection method displayed 100% consistency with the TaqMan real-time PCR assay when applied to clinical specimens collected from patients with confirmed acute HAV infection.
Conclusion: This novel technique is widely applicable as a simple diagnostic tool in the clinical field as well as for the surveillance and investigation of the infectious disease in developing countries where HAV is endemic.