Rapid and visual detection of Toxoplasma gondii oocyst in cat feces using loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate parasitic protozoon that transmits to animals and humans via ingested food. Cats that act as T. gondii’s final hosts play a critical role in T. gondii transmission by shedding millions of oocysts. Timely diagnosis of infected cats is essential for preventing toxoplasmosis because oocysts are a putative T. gondii source in epidemiology. We developed a new visual LAMP assay targeting the B1 gene to analyze single oocysts in cat feces in this study. The amplification result could be visually estimated based on the color change. LAMP assay analytical sensitivity was 101 copies/µL for the B1 gene plasmid, which was tenfold better than the PCR reaction. There were no cross-reactions with other parasites. The LAMP assay can detect a single T. gondii oocyst in 200 mg of cat feces. The LAMP assay detected a single oocyst in 200 mg cat feces at a higher rate than the PCR assay (83.3% vs. 50.0%).