Oral fluid and hair in workplace drug testing programs: new technology for immunoassays

Abstract

Workplace drug testing programs have embraced both oral fluid and hair as testing matrices. Saliva is popular due to its easy, rapid collection; its non-invasiveness compared to urine or blood; the convenience of collecting a specimen anywhere, anytime; and the difficulty of adulteration. The main advantage of saliva, however, remains its suitability for post-accident or 'for-cause' testing since the presence of a parent drug can assist in the determination of an individual being 'under the influence' of a drug. Hair, on the other hand, is useful for workplace programs, since its ability to provide historical information on drug intake ensures it is an excellent specimen for pre-employment testing. Both technologies have enjoyed collection and laboratory improvements for immunoassay screening over the last few years, and these are discussed in this perspective.

Rapid label-free determination of ketamine in whole blood using secondary ion mass spectrometry

“…enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA) and enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique (EMIT) [1][2][3]. They are commonly used as first line screening methods in urine, blood or other bio-fluids [4][5][6][7]. The screening is performed with rapid on-site devices based on an immunoenzymatic reaction.…”

Oral Fluid for The Detection of Drugs of Abuse Using Immunoassay and LC–MS/MS

“…Bioanalysis (2013) 5 (12) assays are paired with a specific collection device and are often not interchangeable with neat OF or alternate collection devices. The number of drugs that may be screened with these kits is continually expanding and assays for medications such as oxycodone and other opioids in OF have been developed [105].…”

“…Bioanalysis (2013) 5 (12) units will provide proactive identification of 'atrisk' individuals. In the future, remote or home testing could be used in focused, evidencebased situations, providing connected healthcare for pain and rehabilitation patients.…”

“…Bioanalysis (2013) 5 (12) cutoff concentrations of 2 and 1 ng/ml, respectively, were achieved by LC-MS/MS with LOQ <0.5 ng/ml [22]; 1 ng/ml [35]; 0.16 ng/ml [30]; and 0.1 ng/ml [26].…”

“…The number of drugs that may be screened with these kits is continually expanding and assays for medications such as oxycodone and other opioids in OF have been developed [105]. Homogeneous assays are less expensive than ELISAs and are considerably faster as no incubation stage is required [12].…”