Development of a reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for the rapid detection of sweet potato latent virus-lotus in lotus plants

A previous survey of lotus virus disease has revealed sweet potato latent virus-lotus (SPLV-lotus) to occur at high frequencies in Jiangsu Province, China. The objective of this study was to develop a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the rapid and sensitive detection of SPLV-lotus in lotus plants. The products were analysed by visual inspection of colour change. The sensitivity of the LAMP assay was similar to that of RT-PCR. The LAMP assay shows excellent potential for application in the rapid detection of SPLV-lotus in field samples.