Department of Chemistry, University of Surrey, Surrey, UK;
Department of Chemistry, University of Surrey, Surrey, UK.
Clin Chem. 2018 Jun;64(6):909-917. doi: 10.1373/clinchem.2017.281469. Epub 2018 Mar 22.
Recent publications have explored the possibility of using fingerprints to confirm drug use, but none has yet dealt with environmental contamination from fingertips. Here we explored the possibility of establishing an environmental cutoff for drug testing from a single fingerprint.
Fingerprint samples (n = 100) were collected from the hands of 50 nondrug users before and after handwashing to establish separate environmental cutoff values and testing protocols for cocaine, benzoylecgonine, heroin, and 6-monoacetylmorphine. The cutoff was challenged by testing the fingerprints of drug-free volunteers after shaking hands with drug users. Fingerprints from patients who testified to taking cocaine (n = 32) and heroin (n = 24) were also collected and analyzed.
A different cutoff value needed to be applied, depending on whether the fingerprints were collected as presented or after handwashing. Applying these cutoffs gave a 0% false-positive rate from the drug-free volunteers. After application of the cutoff, the detection rate (compared to patient testimony) for washed hands of patients was 87.5% for cocaine use and 100% for heroin use.
Fingerprints show enhanced levels of cocaine, heroin, and their respective metabolites in patients who testified to taking the substances, compared with the population of naïve drug users surveyed, and a cutoff (decision level) can be established. The cutoff is robust enough to account for small increases in analyte observed after secondary transfer.
最近的出版物探讨了利用指纹来确认药物使用的可能性，但尚未涉及指尖的环境污染物。在这里，我们探索了从单个指纹建立药物检测环境截止值的可能性。
从 50 名非药物使用者的手上采集指纹样本（n=100），在洗手前后分别建立可卡因、苯甲酰爱康宁、海洛因和 6-单乙酰吗啡的单独环境截止值和测试方案。通过测试与药物使用者握手后的无毒品志愿者的指纹来挑战截止值。还收集并分析了证明服用可卡因（n=32）和海洛因（n=24）的患者的指纹。
根据指纹是按原样收集还是在洗手后收集，需要应用不同的截止值。应用这些截止值可使无毒品志愿者的假阳性率为 0%。应用截止值后，与患者自述相比，对患者洗手后的检测率（可卡因使用）为 87.5%，（海洛因使用）为 100%。
与接受调查的未经处理的药物使用者人群相比，指纹显示出服用过可卡因、海洛因及其各自代谢物的患者的水平更高，并且可以建立截止值（决策水平）。该截止值足够稳健，可以解释在二次转移后观察到的分析物的微小增加。
