title: Application of the LAMP Assay as a Diagnostic Technique for Rapid Identification of Thrips tabaci (Thysanoptera: Thripidae).
abstract: Rapid and accurate identification of potentially invasive taxa that may cause high economic losses or environmental damage is of critical importance. The onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman, ranks as one of the world's most destructive agricultural pests and commonly found in imported agricultural products and field samples, but is prone to undetected transport because of its minute size as well as cryptic behavior. Although traditional taxonomic methods are pretty useful in straightforward assignment of specimens to the genus Thrips, identification in the species level is much more difficult and requires expertise, knowledge, and experience. Furthermore, it is often difficult or impossible to identify or distinguish this species from other thrips by using material from other stages of development. Based on the foregoings, use of a molecular technique known as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) as a rapid and robust alternative species diagnostic tool would be valuable. In this study, a relatively quick and simple method was used to detect the presence of onion thrips DNA rapidly and discriminate it from other species, by using material from different stages of development. Not only LAMP itself required less than 1 h to complete but also amounts of DNA as little as that recovered from a single specimen were adequate for the detection. Another advantage of this identification system is that nonspecialists will be able to make faster and cheaper identifications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran. fekrat@ferdowsi.um.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Lida
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fekrat
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zaki Aghl
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Vahid
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tahan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007300:Insect Control / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D007814:Larva / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D061149:Thysanoptera / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins
keywords: LAMP; Thrips tabaci; loop-mediated isothermal amplification; molecular identification; rapid diagnostic tool