Diagnostic utility of colourimetric readout loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for rapid detection of Babesia gibsoni at the clinical point-of-care (POC)
- 1Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong
- 2Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong
Abstract
Rapid molecular detection of Babesia gibsoni is needed in veterinary settings where conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is limited by equipment requirements, technical complexity and turnaround time. We developed a closed-tube, colourimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay targeting the 18 S rRNA gene of B. gibsoni and integrated the assay with a palm-sized portable incubator. Using quantified B. gibsoni DNA, the assay achieved the limit of detection (LoD) of 100 copies/reaction, matching that of an ITS-based TaqMan qPCR comparator, with visual results after 20 min of amplification. Diagnostic performance was assessed using DNA extracted from 200 archived canine blood samples submitted for suspected tick-borne infection. Compared with qPCR, the portable LAMP assay detected all 41 qPCR-positive and all 159 qPCR-negative samples, yielding 100% sensitivity (95% CI: 91.4–100%), 100% specificity (95% CI: 97.7–100%) and 100% overall accuracy/agreement. Inter-reader agreement for visual interpretation was also complete. This portable colourimetric LAMP platform provides a technically simple molecular assay for targeted detection of B. gibsoni using extracted canine blood DNA and warrants further evaluation in prospective near-patient workflows.
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BibTeX
@article{tan2026diagnostic,
title = {{Diagnostic utility of colourimetric readout loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for rapid detection of Babesia gibsoni at the clinical point-of-care (POC)}},
author = {Sihua Tan and Omid Nekouei and Vanessa R. Barrs and Paweł M. Bęczkowski},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-63468-1},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-63468-1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Diagnostic utility of colourimetric readout loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for rapid detection of Babesia gibsoni at the clinical point-of-care (POC)
AU - Sihua Tan
AU - Omid Nekouei
AU - Vanessa R. Barrs
AU - Paweł M. Bęczkowski
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-63468-1
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-63468-1
AB - Rapid molecular detection of Babesia gibsoni is needed in veterinary settings where conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is limited by equipment requirements, technical complexity and turnaround time. We developed a closed-tube, colourimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay targeting the 18 S rRNA gene of B. gibsoni and integrated the assay with a palm-sized portable incubator. Using quantified B. gibsoni DNA, the assay achieved the limit of detection (LoD) of 100 copies/reaction, matching that of an ITS-based TaqMan qPCR comparator, with visual results after 20 min of amplification. Diagnostic performance was assessed using DNA extracted from 200 archived canine blood samples submitted for suspected tick-borne infection. Compared with qPCR, the portable LAMP assay detected all 41 qPCR-positive and all 159 qPCR-negative samples, yielding 100% sensitivity (95% CI: 91.4–100%), 100% specificity (95% CI: 97.7–100%) and 100% overall accuracy/agreement. Inter-reader agreement for visual interpretation was also complete. This portable colourimetric LAMP platform provides a technically simple molecular assay for targeted detection of B. gibsoni using extracted canine blood DNA and warrants further evaluation in prospective near-patient workflows.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -