Rapid detection of Ebolavirus using isothermal recombinase‐aided amplification

Abstract Ebolavirus disease (EVD) is an often‐lethal disease caused by the genus Ebolavirus (EBOV). Although vaccines are being developed and recently used, outbreak control still relies on a combination of various factors, including rapid identification of EVD cases. This allows rapid patient isolation and control measure implementation. Ebolavirus diagnosis is performed in treatment centers or reference laboratories, which usually takes a few hours to days to confirm the outbreak or deliver a clear result. A fast and field‐deployable molecular detection method, such as the isothermal amplification recombinase‐aided amplification (RAA), could significantly reduce sample‐to‐result time. In this study, a RT‐RAA assay was evaluated for EBOV detection. Various primer and probe combinations were screened; analytical sensitivity and cross‐specificity were tested. A total of 40 archived samples from the 2014 to 2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa were tested with both the reference method real‐time RT‐PCR and the established RT‐RAA assay. The assay could detect down to 22.6 molecular copies per microliter. No other pathogens were detected with the Ebolavirus RT‐RAA assay. Testing 40 samples yield clinical sensitivity and specificity of 100% each. This rapid isothermal RT‐RAA assay can replace the previous RT‐RPA and continue to offer rapid EBOV diagnostics.