A new loop-mediated isothermal amplification method for rapid, simple, and sensitive detection of Leptospira spp. in urine.

We developed a new loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method to detect rrs, a 16S rRNA gene of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in urine. The method enables detection of two leptospiral cells per reaction mixture following boiling of urine specimens. The sensitivity of this method is higher than that of culture or of flaB nested PCR.