A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for rapid identification of and related species.

True fruit flies (Tephritidae) are among the most destructive agricultural pests in the world, attacking a wide range of fruits and vegetables. The Mediterranean fruit fly is a highly polyphagous species but, being widely established in the Mediterranean region, is not considered as a EU quarantine pest. Hence, it is important to discriminate from non-EU tephritid species, present in imported fruit and vegetables, as non-EU species have a quarantine status. However, morphological identification of tephritid larvae, the most frequently intercepted stage in non-EU produce, is difficult and an easy-to-use molecular diagnostic tool would be helpful for rapid species identification. Therefore, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method was developed for and non-EU tephritids group1 and species from the FARQ complex, and . LAMP assays were run with DNA from ILVO collected specimens and DNA samples collected during previous research surveys. LAMP primers were species-specific, with LAMP amplification occurring within 45 minutes for the targeted species. In addition, LAMP assays were successful for all life stages or a limited amount of tissue. To conclude, the LAMP assays developed in this study were able to distinguish from non-EU Tephritidae species and could be a useful tool for the rapid identification of .