Development and evaluation of a rapid recombinase polymerase amplification assay for the detection of human enterovirus 71

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is one of the most common pathogens of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD). A rapid reverse transcription recombinase polymerase amplification (RT-RPA) assay was established to detect EV71 subgenotype C4 (EV71-C4). The 95% detection limit of the RT-RPA was 3.767 log10 genomic copies (LGC)/reaction. The specificity was 100%. In a clinical sample evaluation, this approach demonstrated sufficient clinical performance when compared with a commercial RT-qPCR diagnostic kit. Thus, the RT-RPA assay may be a promising alternative for the detection of EV71-C4.