A Review of Recombinase-Aided Amplification (RAA) in Veterinary Medicine

Rapid and accurate pathogen detection is crucial to mitigating the significant economic impacts of infectious animal diseases. Recombinase-aided amplification (RAA) has emerged as a highly promising isothermal diagnostic tool, characterized by its rapid turnaround time, robust amplification efficiency, and single-copy analytical sensitivity. In veterinary diagnostics, RAA has evolved from single-pathogen proof-of-concept assays to become a promising technology for point-of-care scenarios. This review critically evaluates the integration of RAA with real-time fluorescence, CRISPR-Cas systems, lateral flow dipsticks (LFDs), and suspension microarray technologies, highlighting their impact on assay sensitivity and point-of-care (POC) applicability. Despite recent advancements, including encouraging progress in multiplexing and expanded applications in companion animal medicine, inherent challenges such as matrix effects in crude clinical samples, aerosol contamination risks, and commercialization barriers remain. By benchmarking RAA against traditional molecular methods and structurally similar technologies like recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), this review outlines future trajectories for optimizing RAA platforms, aiming to maximize their utility in routine veterinary surveillance and epidemiological control.