Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology department Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, 62514Egypt
*Corresponding Author Dr Mostafa Abdallah Abdel Alim Department of Forensic medicine and clinical, Faculty of Medicine, Beni Suef University, Beni-Suef, 62514Egypt. E mail: Mostafaabdalah@yahoo.com
Online published on 21 March, 2022.
Urine drug testing plays an important role in monitoring licit and illicit drug use for both medico-legal and clinical purposes. One of the major challenges of urine drug testing is adulteration, a practice involving manipulation of a urine specimen with chemical adulterants to produce a false negative test result. This problem is compounded by the number of easily obtained chemicals that can effectively adulterate a urine specimen.
This is a case control study; urine samples used for this study were submitted routinely to Beni-Suef university toxicological laboratory; tested for tramadol in urine using multi drug rapid test panel, auto analyzer and Thin layer chromatography.Visine eye drops,water, Hypochlorite-Based bleach, household vinegar and ordinary household materials. PH, temperature, specific gravity, creatinine and nitrate are used to determine certain urine characters which help in detection of adulterated urine.
This study showed that there was a highly statistical significant decrease of the PH after adulteration by vinegar at 10 and 40 concentration, there was a highly significant increase after addition of 40 concentration Visine eye drops and 10 & 40 concentration of Clorox but, after dilution with water the maximum increase of the PH was obtained after double dilution of water. The maximum significant decrease in the specific gravity was noticed in bleach at concentration 40 and double dilution of water (P-value<0.001). Auto analyzer showed the lower change in sensitivity and NPV than TLC and Accurate card.
The adulterants interfered somewhat differently with each of the drug assays. EIA assays for illicit drugs can be invalidated by specimen adulteration producing false-negative results. Therefore, if urine drug testing is to be conducted, pH, relative density, and appearance should be assessed and suspect specimens should be rejected. Not all adulterants can be detected, so observed collection is strongly recommended.
Detection, Tramadol, Adulteration, Egypt, Drug abuse
