Development of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for the detection of Mycobacterium bovis.

Bovine tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis is an important zoonosis. In this study, a simple, rapid method for detecting this organism was developed based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification of the mpt83 gene. The technique will be of value in the clinical and field-based diagnosis of M. bovis and can differentiate it from other bacteria such as Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, β-haemolytic streptococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The limit of detection was 10 copies/μL and the results were corroborated by PCR. The method was highly specific and more sensitive than PCR.