# Simplified Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification-Based Method for Point-of-Care Detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae in Low-Resource Settings

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a fast, low-cost method to detect Streptococcus pneumoniae in low-resource areas, helping reduce antibiotic misuse and improve pneumonia treatment.

## Contribution

A simplified LAMP method and affordable device for point-of-care detection of S. pneumoniae in low-resource settings.

## Key findings

- The simplified LAMP method performs as well as PCR for detecting S. pneumoniae in clinical samples.
- The method does not require expensive equipment and provides rapid results.
- An affordable device was developed to support point-of-care implementation in low-resource areas.

## Abstract

According to the data from the World Health Organization,
acute
lower respiratory tract infections, such as pneumonia, are the leading
causes of death in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden
is highest. Adequate treatment of pneumonia requires accurate diagnosis;
however, current diagnostic methods do not allow for rapid differentiation
of viral and bacterial cause of pneumonia. Therefore, many patients
are empirically treated, which leads to the inappropriate use of antibiotics
and the acceleration of the emergence of antimicrobial resistance.
We aimed to develop a fast and reliable detection method that is fit
for purpose in low-resource settings to identify the most common pathogen
causing pneumonia, namely Streptococcus pneumoniae. In this study, we developed, optimized, and validated a loop-mediated
isothermal amplification (LAMP) method with simplified sample processing
to detect S. pneumoniae in clinical
swab samples. When tested on clinical samples, the simplified LAMP
method demonstrated performance to that of the established PCR detection
method. However, the LAMP approach does not require an expensive thermal
cycler and allows for sensitive detection with a short turnaround
time. Moreover, we engineered a simple, affordable device that, together
with the method, can be implemented in low- and middle-income countries
for point-of-care applications.