Development of rapid molecular diagnostic method for tuberculosis based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification

A new rapid method for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis specific gene by means of a new gene amplification method called Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (TB-LAMP) was developed. The LAMP is easy to apply in its procedure and excels in its sensitivity and specificity when compared with other genetic testing methods. The reaction was carried out at a constant temperature of 65°C and basically needed no thermal cycler. In this method, by adding a loop primer, a shorter reaction time of 15 to 30 minutes was needed than in a prior method. TB-LAMP was evaluated by using 10 clinical samples suspected of pulmonary tuberculosis to compare with the other diagnostic methods, TB-PCR and cultivation, and showed 100 % consistency with the methods. The TB-LAMP will enable us to diagnose tuberculoses rapidly and instantly and represent a progress in our management of patients with tuberculoses.