Loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for detection of Histomonas meleagridis infection in chickens targeting the 18S rRNA sequences

Histomonas meleagridis is the causative agent of histomonosis, a disease of gallinaceous fowl characterized by necrotic typhlitis, hepatitis, and high mortality. To develop a rapid and sensitive method for specific detection of H. meleagridis, an assay based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) targeting the 18S rRNA gene was established. The detection limit of the LAMP assay was 10 copies for standard plasmids containing an 18S rRNA gene fragment, which was superior to that of a classical PCR method. Specificity tests revealed that there was no cross-reaction with other protozoa such as Trichomonas gallinae, Blastocytis sp, Tetratrichomonas gallinarum, Plasmodium gallinaceum, Toxoplasma gondii, Eimeria tenella, Leucocytozoon caulleryi and Leucocytozoon sabrazesi. The assay was evaluated for its diagnostic utility using liver and caeca samples collected from suspected field cases, the detection rate was 100 and 97.92%, respectively. These results indicate that the LAMP assay may be a useful tool for rapid detection and identification of H. meleagridis in poultry.