title: A comparison of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) with other surveillance tools for Echinococcus granulosus diagnosis in canine definitive hosts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cystic echinococcosis is highly prevalent in northwest China. A cost-effective, easy to operate diagnostic tool with high sensitivity and specificity would greatly facilitate the monitoring of Echinococcus infections in canine definitive hosts.
  
  
  METHODS
  The primers used in the LAMP assay were based on the mitochondrial nad5 gene of E. granulosus sensu stricto (E. granulosus s.s., or E.g.s.s.) and were designed using Primer Explorer V4 software. The developed LAMP assay was compared with a conventional PCR method, copro-ELISA and microscopy, using the faeces of dogs experimentally infected with E.g.s.s., and field-collected faeces of domestic dogs including 190 from Qinghai province highly endemic for E.g.s.s. and 30 controls from an area in Gansu, where a domestic dog de-worming program was in operation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The positivity rates obtained for the field-collected faecal samples were 12.6%, 1.6% and 2.1% by the LAMP, PCR and copro-ELISA assays, respectively. All samples obtained from the control dogs were negative. Compared with the conventional PCR, the LAMP assay provided 88.8% specificity and 100% sensitivity. The higher sensitivity of the LAMP method was also shown by the fact that it could detect the presence of laboratory challenge dog infections of E. granulsous s.s. four days earlier than the PCR method. Three copro-samples shown positive by the commercial copro-ELISA were all negative by LAMP, PCR and microscopy, which suggests these samples may have originated from another infection rather than E. granulsous s.s., possibly E. shiquicus or E. Canadensis, which is also present in China.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have developed a potentially useful surveillance tool for determining the prevalence of canine E. granulosus s.s. infections in the field. The LAMP assay may lead to a more cost-effective and practicable way of tracking Echinococcus infections in canids, especially when combined with the copro-ELISA.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology/Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province/Key Laboratory of Zoonoses of Agriculture Ministry/Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xing-Wei
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.affiliation: Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Donald P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: McManus
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology/Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province/Key Laboratory of Zoonoses of Agriculture Ministry/Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Zhong-Zi
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology/Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province/Key Laboratory of Zoonoses of Agriculture Ministry/Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Ji-Fei
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology/Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province/Key Laboratory of Zoonoses of Agriculture Ministry/Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Hong-Bin
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology/Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province/Key Laboratory of Zoonoses of Agriculture Ministry/Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology/Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province/Key Laboratory of Zoonoses of Agriculture Ministry/Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Hong-Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Gansu Provincial Center for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Quan-Yuan
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Qinghai Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Xining, Qinghai Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Chun-Hua
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Gansu Provincial Center for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Wan-Gui
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology/Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province/Key Laboratory of Zoonoses of Agriculture Ministry/Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yan-Lei
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Gansu Provincial Center for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Qinghai Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Xining, Qinghai Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jin-Zhong
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Qinghai Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Xining, Qinghai Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Meng-Tong
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology/Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province/Key Laboratory of Zoonoses of Agriculture Ministry/Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Bao-Quan
authors.initials: BQ
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yu-Rong
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology/Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province/Key Laboratory of Zoonoses of Agriculture Ministry/Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Wan-Zhong
authors.initials: WZ
authors.lastname: Jia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018509:DNA, Helminth / Q000235:genetics; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D004285:Dogs; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D048209:Echinococcus granulosus / Q000235:genetics*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; D015995:Prevalence; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D018509:DNA, Helminth