ACCU-TELL CANNABINOID (THC) URINE TEST (CE)

Declaration: As with all diagnostic tests, a definitive clinical diagnosis should not be based on the result of a single test, but should only be made by the physician after all clinical and laboratory findings have been evaluated.

 

CATALOG

INTENDED USE

 

CATALOG

Accu-Tell ^® Rapid THC Urine Test is a lateral flow, rapid immunoassay for the qualitative detection of 11-nor-△⁹-THC-9-carboxylic acid in human urine at a cut-off of 50 ng/mL. This product is used to obtain a visual, qualitative result and is intended for professional use. The assay should not be used without proper supervision and is not intended for over the counter sale to lay persons.

This assay provides only a preliminary analytical test result. A more specific alternative chemical method must be used in order to obtain a confirmed analytical result. Gas chromato-graphy/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) has been established as the preferred confirmatory method by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Clinical consideration and professional judgement should be applied to any drug of abuse test result, particularly when preliminary positive results are indicated.

Marijuana is a hallucinogenic agent derived from the flowering portion of the hemp plant. Smoking is the primary method of use of marijuana/cannabis. Higher doses used by abusers produce central nervous system effects, altered mood and sensory perceptions, loss of co-ordination, impaired short-term memory, anxiety, paranoia, depression, confusion, hallucinations and increased heart rate. A tolerance to the cardiac and psychotropic effects can occur, and withdrawal syndrome produces restlessness, insomnia, anorexia and nausea.

When marijuana is ingested, the drug is metabolised by the liver. The primary urinary metabolite of marijuana is 11-nor-△⁹-THC-9-carboxylic acid, and its glucuronide. This means that the presence of detected cannabinoids, including the primary carboxyl metabolite, in the urine indicate marijuana/cannabis use.

Urine based screening tests for drugs of abuse range from simple immunoassay tests to complex analytical procedures. The speed and sensitivity of immunoassays have made them the most widely accepted method for screening urine for drugs of abuse. Rapid THC Test Cassette is based on the principle of the highly specific immunochemical reactions of antigens and antibodies which are used for the analysis of specific compounds in biological fluids. This test is a rapid, visual, competitive immu-noassay that can be used for the qualitative detection of 11-nor-△⁹-THC-9-carboxylic acid in human urine at a 50 ng/mL cut-off concentration.

Accu-Tell ^® Rapid THC Urine Test is a rapid immunoassay in which a chemically labelled drug (drug conjugate) competes with the drug which may be present in urine for limited antibody binding sites. The test device contains a membrane strip which was pre-coated with drug conjugate on the test band. A coloured anti-THC monoclonal antibody-colloidal gold conjugate pad is placed at the right end of the membrane. In the absence of drug in the urine, the solution of the coloured antibody-colloidal gold conjugate and urine moves upward, chromatographically by capillary action, across the membrane. This solution then migrates to the immobilised drug conjugate zone on the test band region. The coloured antibody-colloidal gold conjugate then attaches to the drug conjugate to form a visible line as the antibody complexes with the drug conjugate. Therefore, the formation of a visible precipitant in the test zone occurs, when the test urine is negative for the drug. When the drug is present in the urine, the drug/metabolite antigen competes with the drug conjugate on the test band region for limited antibody sites on the anti-THC monoclonal antibody-colloidal gold conjugate. When a sufficient concentration of drug is present, it will fill the limited antibody binding sites. This will prevent attachment of the coloured antibody-colloidal gold conjugate to the drug conjugate zone on the test band region. Therefore, absence of the colour band on the test region indicates a positive result.

A control band with a different antigen/antibody reaction is also added to the immunochromatographic membrane strip at the control region (C) to indicate that the test has performed properly. This control line should always appear, regardless of the presence of drug and metabolite. This means that negative urine will produce two coloured bands, and positive urine will produce only one band. The presence of this coloured band in the control region also serves as 1) verification that sufficient volume has been added, and 2) that proper flow was obtained.

1.  For in vitro diagnostic use only.

2.  Urine specimens may be potentially infectious. Proper handling and disposal methods should be established.

3.  Avoid cross-contamination of urine samples by using a new specimen collection container and specimen pipette for each urine sample.

 

Accu-Tell ^® Rapid THC Urine Test is formulated for use with urine specimens. Fresh urine does not require any special handling or pre-treatment. Urine samples should be collected such that testing can be performed as soon as possible after the specimen collection, preferably during the same day. The specimen may be refrigerated at 2-8°C for 2 days, or frozen at -20°C for a longer period of time. Specimens that have been refrigerated must be equilibrated to room temperature prior to testing. Specimens previously frozen must be thawed, equilibrated to room temperature, and mixed thoroughly prior to testing.

Note: Urine specimens and all materials coming in contact with them should be handled and disposed of as if capable of transmitting infection. Avoid contact with skin by wearing gloves and proper laboratory attire.

Review “Specimen Collection“ instructions. Test device, patients samples, and controls should be brought to room temperature (20-30°C) prior to testing. Do not open pouches until ready to perform the assay.

1.  Remove the test device from its protective pouch (bring the device to room temperature before opening the pouch to avoid condensation of moisture on the membrane). Label the device with patient or control identification.

2.  Draw the urine sample to the line marked on the pipette. Dispense 3 drops (or 120 μl) into the sample well. Use a separate pipette and device for each sample or control.

3.  Read result between 3 to 8 minutes after the addition of sample. Do not read result after 8 minutes.

1.  Bring the pouch to room temperature before opening it. Remove the test strip from the sealed pouch and use it as soon as possible.

2.  With arrows pointing toward the urine specimen, immerse the test strip vertically in the urine specimen for at least 5 seconds. Do not pass the maximum line on the test strip when immersing the strip.

3.  Place the test strip on a non-absorbent flat surface, start the timer and wait for the red line(s) to appear. The result should be read between 3 to 8 minutes after the addition of sample. Do not interpret the result after 8 minutes.

Negative: Two coloured lines appear in the viewing window. The line in the test region (T) is the drug probe line; the line on the control region (C ) is the control line, which is used to indicate proper performance of the device. The colour intensity of the test line may be weaker or stronger than that of the control line.

Positive: Only one coloured line appears in the control region (C ). The absence of a test line indicates a positive result.

Invalid: No line appears in the control region. Under no circumstances should a positive sample be identified until the control line forms in the viewing area. If the control line does not form, the test result is inconclusive and should be repeated.

Note: A very faint line in the test region indicates that the THC in the sample is near the cut-off level of the test. These samples should be re-tested or confirmed with a more specific method be-fore a positive determination is made.

1.   The assay is designed for use with human urine only.

2.   A positive result with any of the tests indicates the presence of a drug/metabolite only, and does not indicate or measure intoxication.

3.   There is a possibility that technical or procedural errors as well as other substances and factors not listed may interfere with the test and cause false results.

4.   If it is suspected that the samples have been mislabelled or tampered with, a new specimen should be collected and the test should be repeated.

Good laboratory practice recommends the use of control materials to ensure proper kit performance. Quality control specimens are available from commercial sources. When testing the positive and negative controls, use the same assay procedure as with a urine specimen.

The test kit is to be stored at refrigeration (2-8°C) or room temperature (up to 30°C) in the sealed pouch for the duration of the shelf life.

Accuracy: The accuracy of Rapid THC Test was evaluated in comparison to a commercially available immunoassay at a cut-off of 50 ng/mL. 120 urine samples, collected from presumed non-user volunteers, have been tested by both procedures with 100% agreement.

In a separate study, 72 urine samples, obtained from a clinical laboratory where they were screened and confirmed as positives by commercially available immunoassay and GC/MS, were tested by Rapid THC Test . The concentration of 11-nor-△⁹-THC-9-carboxylic acid in the urine samples were ranged from 34.7 to 298 ng/mL. Of the 64 samples with 11-nor-△⁹-THC-9-carboxylic acid concentrations ≥ 61.2 ng/mL, all were found to be positives by both procedures (100% agreement). Of the 8 samples with 11-nor-△⁹-THC-9-carboxylic acid concentrations from 34.7 to 44.6 ng/mL, which were identified as positives by the commercially available immunoassay, all were determined negatives by Rapid THC Test .

Reproducibility: The reproducibility of Rapid THC Test was evaluated at 4 different sites using blind controls. Of the 60 samples with a 11-nor-△⁹-THC-9-carboxylic acid concentration of 25 ng/mL, all were determined negatives. Of the 60 samples with 11-nor-△⁹-THC-9-carboxylic acid concentration of 100 ng/mL, all were determined positives.

Precision: The precision of Rapid THC Test was determined by conducting the test with spiked controls. The control at 25 ng/mL should give a negative result and the control at 75 ng/mL should give a positive result.

11-nor-△9-THC-9-carboxylic acid (ng/mL)	No Tested	Correct	% Correct
25	50	50	100
75	50	50	100

Specificity: The specificity for Rapid THC Test was tested by adding various drugs, drug metabolites, and other compounds that are likely to be present in urine. All compounds were prepared in drug-free normal human urine.

The following structurally related compounds produced positive results when tested at levels equal to or greater than the concentrations listed below.

Compound	Concentration (ng/mL)
11-nor-△8-THC-9-carboxylic acid	50
11-hydroxy-△9-THC	2,500
△8-THC	7,500
△9-THC	10,000
Cannabinol	10,000
Cannabidiol	100,000

The following compounds were found not to cross-react when tested at concentrations up to 100 μg/mL.

Acetaminophen, Acetone, Albumin, Amitriptyline, Ampicillin, Aspartame, Aspirin, Atropine, Benzocaine, Bilirubin, Caffeine, Chloroquine, (+)-Chlorphenir-amine, (+/-)-Chlorpheniramine, Creatine, Dexbrompheniramine, 4-Dimethyl-aminoantipyrine, Dopamine, (+/-)-Ephe-drine, (-)-Ephedrine, (+)-Epinephrine, Erytromycin, Ethanol, Furosemide, Glucose, Guajacol Glyceryl Ether, Hemoglobin, Imipramine, (+/-)-Isoproterenol, Lidocaine, (1R,2S)-(-)-N-Methyl-Ephedrine, (+)-Naproxen, (+/-)-Nor-ephedrine, Oxalic Acid, Penicillin-G, Pheniramine, Phenothiazine, L-Phenylephrine, Phenylethylamine, Procaine, Quinidine, Rani-tidine, Riboflavin, Sodium Chloride, Sulindac, Tyramine, Vitamin C

1.   Baselt, R.C. Disposition of Toxic Drugs and Chemicals in Man, Biomedical Publications, 1982.

2.   Urine Testing for Drugs of Abuse. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Research Monograph 73, 1986.

3.   Fed. Register, Department of Health and Human Services, Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs, 53, 69, 11970, 1988.

4.   McBay, A.J. Clin. Chem. 33, 33B-40B, 1987.

5.   Gilman, A.G., & Goldman, L.S. The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, eds. MacMillan Publishing, New York, NY, 1980.

 

The above information is just for reference. The actual technical specifications are subject to the insert provided with the product.