P-183 - Automated, single step in-field detection for regulated pests and pathogens

The biosecurity front line are phytosanitary inspectors who inspect material moving in trade, perform field inspections for certification of planting materials and surveillance work for regulated pests. This is achieved by visual examination followed by confirmation of results in a testing laboratory. Where molecular methods are needed to improve sensitivity or specificity (e.g. beyond what can be achieved using LFDs), the state of the art is isothermal DNA amplification (e.g. Loop mediated AMPLification – LAMP) running on battery powered platforms (e.g. Genie or Amplifire). The multiple pipetting steps needed can prove challenging and time consuming for inspectors. This research work sought to develop a completely automated system, requiring the introduction of a sample into a pre-prepared lysis tube which after shaking is attached to the microfluidic cartridge. The cartridge is introduced into the instrument and all the testing steps are automatically performed with results displayed on the user’s smart phone. The platform was evaluated using tests to identify Bemisia tabaci and to detect Phytophthora ramorum. The results show that the performance of the automated test is equivalent to those performed on the currently used Genie II instruments, with the user only required to take samples and introduce them into tubes, it also suggests that currently available LAMP could be run on the new platform, without any deterioration in performance. The method requires no laboratory skills to perform, broadening the availability of molecular tests to inspection or agronomy services.