LAMP Reaction in Plant Disease Surveillance: Applications, Challenges, and Future Perspectives

Abstract

Movements of plant pathogenic microorganisms in uncontaminated areas occur today at an alarming rate, driven mainly by global trade and climate change. These invaders can trigger new disease outbreaks able to impact the biodiversity and economies of vast territories and affect a variety of ecosystem services. National and supranational regulatory deficiencies, such as inadequate quarantine measures and ineffective early pathogen detection at ports of entry, exacerbate the issue. Thus, there is an urgent need for accurate and rapid diagnostic tools to intercept invasive and nonindigenous plant pathogens. The LAMP (Loop-mediated isothermal AMPlification) technique is a robust, flexible tool representing a significant advance in point-of-care (POC) diagnostics. Its user-friendliness and sensitivity offer a breakthrough in phytosanitary checks at points of entry (harbors and airports), for disease and pest surveillance at vulnerable sites (e.g., nurseries and wood-processing and storage facilities), and for territorial monitoring of new disease outbreaks. This review highlights the strengths and weaknesses of LAMP, emphasizing its potential to revolutionize modern plant disease diagnostics.

Keywords: biosecurity; climate change; diagnostics; global trade; invasive species; loop-mediated isothermal amplification; pathogen detection; phytosanitary checks; point of care (POC).

Figure 1

Indirect and direct methods that can be used for LAMP product visualization: (a) gel electrophoresis; (b,c) negative and positive controls of a LAMP reaction monitored with colorimetric dyes; (d) LAMP amplification curves obtained by real-time analysis of the fluorescence emitted by the reaction. Curves can be displayed directly on the instrument monitor.

Figure 2

Examples of lab-on-a-chip tools developed to detect plant pathogens. (a) LOC technology based on PCR reaction (credit: Chiriacò et al. [212]) (b) LOC device based on LAMP reaction. Positive results are visualized as yellow, and negative results are represented as pink (credit: Changtor et al. [40]).

Figure 3

Diagrammatic representation of the evolution of diagnostics methodologies for IAPP detection and future perspectives. Pictures of the LOC device were obtained from Chiriacò et al. [212]. The LAMP instrument in the picture is developed and marketed by Enbiotech s.r.l.