Rapid Detection of the Bursaphelenchus Xylophilus by Denaturation Bubble-mediated Strand Exchange Amplification

Abstract

Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (B. xylophilus) is one of the most important causal agents of infectious diseases in forest pathology. Obviously, the rapid detection of B. xylophilus is an urgent need for its prevention and cure. We have developed a detection method of B. xylophilus by strand exchange amplification (SEA). This method could detect 10⁵ copies of genomic DNA of B. xylophilus, and it was sufficiently sensitive to detect a single nematode as short as 40 min. Moreover, because the amplification result could be visualized by the naked eyes, the only equipment required throughout the process was a simple isothermal block. Therefore, our method would be a potential for developing on-site detection of B. xylophilus to prevent and control its spread.