Enhancing Biosecurity in Mollusc Aquaculture: A Review of Current Isothermal Nucleic Acid Detection Methods

TL;DR

This paper reviews isothermal nucleic acid detection methods for improving biosecurity in mollusc aquaculture by enabling rapid disease diagnostics.

Contribution

The paper provides a focused review on the application of isothermal techniques like LAMP and RPA for mollusc pathogen detection in field settings.

Findings

Isothermal techniques like LAMP and RPA can detect mollusc pathogens rapidly within an hour.

Current diagnostics are insufficient for field use, necessitating more sensitive and cost-effective tools.

Mollusc aquaculture faces high mortality risks due to disease, requiring better biosecurity measures.

Abstract

The increase in farmed molluscs has heightened the risk of infection from various pathogens, potentially causing significant economic losses with limited treatment options. Consequently, there is a need for in-field diagnostics to enhance biosecurity management and prevent infections. This review provides an overview of the current molecular diagnostics for relevant diseases and modern isothermal techniques for nucleic acid detection, highlighting their application in point-of-care testing in the mollusc aquaculture industry.

The growing human population has increased the need for food beyond what terrestrial sources can provide. This boosts aquaculture demand for molluscs, fish, and crustaceans. Molluscs are popular for their nutritional benefits, making them a profitable industry. Despite a 3% annual growth in mollusc populations, recent high mortality rates and population losses due to poor feeding practices and water pollution have made them more disease-prone. Limited treatment options exist for mollusc diseases in aquaculture systems. Hence, developing rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective diagnostic tools for field use is essential to identify and prevent infections promptly. Recently developed isothermal nucleic acid amplification technologies, like loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), offer rapid results within an hour. This review examines these isothermal diagnostic techniques for mollusc pathogens and their potential for field application.

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