Abstract
Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), particularly those caused by parasites, remain a major Public Health problem in tropical and subtropical regions, with 10% of the world population being infected. Their management and control have been traditionally hampered, among other factors, by the difficulty to deploy rapid, specific, and affordable diagnostic tools in low resource settings. This is especially true for complex PCR-based methods. Isothermal nucleic acid amplification techniques, particularly loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), appeared in the early 21st century as an alternative to PCR, allowing for a much more affordable molecular diagnostic. Here, we present the status of LAMP assays development in parasite-caused NTDs. We address the progress made in different research applications of the technique: xenomonitoring, epidemiological studies, work in animal models and clinical application both for diagnosis and evaluation of treatment success. Finally, we try to shed a light on the improvements needed to achieve a true point-of-care test and the future perspectives in this field.
Highlights
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The potential of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) as a possible POC diagnostic test for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) was clear from the publication of the technique in the year 2000 and, in 2003, the first LAMP assay for human African trypanosomes DNA detection was published [25], representing the start of a new diagnostic approach for NTDs
A large number of LAMP studies working with parasite genomic DNA (gDNA) have consistently shown that LAMP reaches at least similar sensitivity values to those obtained with PCRbased methods
Summary
In 2005, the “Neglected Tropical Diseases” (NTDs) concept was defined by researchers David H. The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated that list to twenty conditions caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, and snake envenoming affecting some of the world’s poorest communities, predominantly in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Those living without adequate sanitation and in close contact with infectious vectors, domestic animals and livestock are worst affected (https: //www.who.int/neglected_diseases/diseases/en/, accessed on 1 December 2020). PCR-based methods are expensive and infrastructure-demanding, not ideal for point-of-care (POC) tests In this context, methods of isothermal nucleic acid amplification technology (INAAT) have emerged as a promising alternative. A great variety of approaches of the LAMP technology in a field-friendly display have been released, such as, lateral flow dipstick and lab-on-chip layouts [18], microfluidicbased methods [19], in combination with metallic nanoparticles [20], or coupled with smart phone-based technology [21]
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