Published: Journal of Analytical Toxicology, ISSN 0146-4760, Volume 25, Number 5, July/August, pp. 310-315

Case Report

Laboratory Analysis of Remotely Collected Oral Fluid Specimens for Opiates by Immunoassay
R. Sam Niedbala1,*, Keith Kardos1, Joseph Waga1, Dean Fritch1, Lisa Yeager1, Santosh Doddamane2, and Eugene Schoener2
1OraSure Technologies, Inc., 150 Webster Street, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015 and 2Wayne State University,
Detroit, Michigan

The performance characteristics of a method for detecting opiates (morphine, codeine, heroin, and 6-acetylmorphine [6-AM]) in oral fluid specimens were examined and compared with methods for urine specimens. The oral fluid was easily obtained using a simple device that collects between 1 and 1.5 mL of fluid for laboratory analysis. Simultaneously collected specimens from 60 known opiate abusers from a drug-treatment center were first tested using an immunoassay cutoff of 10 ng/mL in oral fluids and 2000 ng/mL in urine. Using a second aliquot, opiate confirmation in urine was performed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and in oral fluids by GC–MS–MS. The combined immunoassay and GC–MS–MS procedures were completed with less than 250 µL of oral fluid. Opiates identified in oral fluid specimens from heroin users included morphine, codeine, heroin, and 6-AM. The immunoassay was tested for precision, stability, and the effects of potential cross-reactants. The results yielded 93.6% agreement between oral fluid and urine, suggesting that oral fluid may be a reliable matrix for opiate detection.

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