Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly infectious disease with a high mortality rate in the developing countries. Cheap and rapid screening assays are needed at the point of care for timely intervention and treatment. While PCR-based detection of TB is faster than bacterial culture and more specific compared to microscopy, PCR is not viable as a routine screening test in many low-income countries where TB is endemic due to the requirement of an expensive thermocycler. Disease screening based on isothermal amplification techniques is, therefore, being explored as an alternative to PCR. We have amplified a fragment of M. tuberculosis DNA on a paper substrate in 10 min starting from 100 copies of the template using inexpensive heat sources, such as hot plate and hand warmers. The enzyme mix used to amplify DNA can be spotted and stored dry on paper at ambient temperatures for more than a month. The DNA amplified on paper can be detected by incorporating a suitable fluorescence marker in the reaction mixture or by directly loading the paper in a standard gel electrophoresis set up.