COMPARISON AND EVALUATION OF ONE-STEP REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE-POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION (RT-PCR) AND REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE LOOP-MEDIATED ISOTHERMAL AMPLIFICATION ASSAY(RT-LAMP) FOR RAPID DETECTION OF FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE VIRUS (FMDV)

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is endemic in Pakistan and cause severe economic losses. Serotype O, A and Asia 1 is prevalent and their rapid detection for Pakistaniisolates is needed to determine the serotype prevalence in different areas of the country. One step reversetranscriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and reverse transcriptase loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT- LAMP) was compared for the rapid and sensitive detection of FMDV genome. FMDV genome was confirmed in 19/25clinically affected animals by sequencing. These positive samples (n=19) were also confirmed in both RT-PCR and RT-LAMP consensus assay.In theserotyping assay, RT-PCR detection rate was16.67%, 80%, and 50% and RT-LAMP detection rate was 50%, 60% and 50%for serotype Asia 1, O and type A respectively. In general detection of FMDV, RT-PCR assay and the RT-LAMP assay showed high concordance (k = 1.0). However, in serotype detection, RT-LAMP was found more sensitive as compared to RT-PCR for the detection of the FMDV serotype Asia1 and Vice Versa in the detection of serotype O. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is thefirst document on thecomparison of RT-LAMP and one-step RT- PCR for FMDV using ESE-Quant Tube Scanner in Pakistan.The RT-LAMP assay has the potential for early and rapid clinical diagnosis, surveillance and serotyping of FMDV infection in endemic countries

Current and Emerging Adsorbent Technologies for Wastewater Treatment: Trends, Limitations, and Environmental Implications

Wastewater generation and treatment is an ever-increasing concern in the current century due to increased urbanization and industrialization. To tackle the situation of increasing environmental hazards, numerous wastewater treatment approaches are used—i.e., physical, chemical, and biological (primary to tertiary treatment) methods. Various treatment techniques being used have the risks of producing secondary pollutants. The most promising technique is the use of different materials as adsorbents that have a higher efficacy in treating wastewater, with a minimal production of secondary pollutants. Biosorption is a key process that is highly efficient and cost-effective. This method majorly uses the adsorption process/mechanism for toxicant removal from wastewater. This review elaborates the major agricultural and non-agricultural materials-based sorbents that have been used with their possible mechanisms of pollutant removal. Moreover, this creates a better understanding of how the efficacy of these sorbents can be enhanced by modification or treatments with other substances. This review also explains the re-usability and mechanisms of the used adsorbents and/or their disposal in a safe and environmentally friendly way, along with highlighting the major research gaps and potential future research directions. Additionally, the cost benefit ratio of adsorbents is elucidated