Screening for Drugs of Abuse with the Roche ONTRAK Assays

摘要

Manual, qualitative latex agglutination inhibition screening tests (ONTRAK,Rocehe) for amphetamines, barbiturates, cocaine, marijuana, morphine, and phencyclidine were evaluated. The assays are inexpensive, rapid, and easy to perform, requiring little training to gain proficiency. The tests are sensitive to drug concentrations at or around the stated cut-off values. The ONTRAK results agree well with the results obtained when urine samples were screened by fluorescence polarization or radioimmunoassay and confirmed by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Drawbacks of the test kits include the subjective nature of the qualitative assays and the lack of a positive control. The ONTRAK system provides a reasonable means of conducting field testing for drugs of abuse.