Screening for drug abuse involving alcohol
Test Id | Reporting Name | Available Separately | Always Performed |
---|---|---|---|
ETGC | Ethyl Glucuronide Confirmation, U | Yes | No |
Testing begins with a screening assay. If the screen is positive, then the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry confirmation with quantification will be performed at an additional charge.
Only orderable as part of profile. For more information see CSMEU / Controlled Substance Monitoring Enhanced Profile with Reflex, 21 Drug Classes, High Resolution Mass Spectrometry and Immunoassay Screen, Random, Urine
Immunoassay
Alcohol biomarkers
Testing begins with a screening assay. If the screen is positive, then the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry confirmation with quantification will be performed at an additional charge.
Urine
Only orderable as part of profile. For more information see CSMEU / Controlled Substance Monitoring Enhanced Profile with Reflex, 21 Drug Classes, High Resolution Mass Spectrometry and Immunoassay Screen, Random, Urine.
Container/Tube: Plastic, 60-mL urine bottle
Specimen Volume: 5 mL
Collection Instructions:
1. Collect a random urine specimen.
2. No preservative.
2.5 mL
Specimen Type | Temperature | Time | Special Container |
---|---|---|---|
Urine | Refrigerated (preferred) | 28 days | |
Frozen | 28 days | ||
Ambient | 72 hours |
Screening for drug abuse involving alcohol
Testing begins with a screening assay. If the screen is positive, then the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry confirmation with quantification will be performed at an additional charge.
This procedure uses immunoassay reagents designed to produce a negative result when no drugs are present in a natural (ie, unadulterated) urine specimen; the assay is designed to have a high true-negative rate. Like all immunoassays, it can have a false-positive rate due to cross-reactivity with natural chemicals and drugs other than those they were designed to detect. The immunoassay also has a false-negative rate to the antibody's ability to cross-react with different drugs in the class being screened.
Ethyl glucuronide is a direct metabolite of ethanol formed by enzymatic conjugation of ethanol with glucuronic acid. Alcohol in urine is normally detected for only a few hours, whereas ethyl glucuronide can be detected in the urine for 1 to 3 days.
Only orderable as part of profile. For more information see CSMEU / Controlled Substance Monitoring Enhanced Profile with Reflex, 21 Drug Classes, High Resolution Mass Spectrometry and Immunoassay Screen, Random, Urine.
Negative
Screening cutoff concentration:
Ethyl Glucuronide: 500 ng/mL
This assay only provides a preliminary analytical test result. A more specific alternative method (ie, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry) must be used to obtain a confirmed analytical result. A positive result using the ethyl glucuronide screen indicates only the potential presence of ethyl glucuronide and does not necessarily correlate with the extent of physiological and psychological effects.
Care should be taken when interpreting results since there are many factors (eg, fluid intake and other biologic factors) that may influence a urine test result. It is possible that substances other than those investigated in the specificity study may interfere with the test and cause false-positive or negative results.
1. Schmitt G, Aderjan R, Keller T, Wu M. Ethyl glucuronide: an unusual ethanol metabolite in humans. Synthesis, analytical data, and determination in serum and urine. J Anal Toxicol. 1995;19(2):91-94
2. Dahl H, Stephanson N, Beck O, Helander A. Comparison of urinary excretion characteristics of ethanol and ethyl glucuronide. J Anal Toxicol. 2002;26(4):201-204. doi:10.1093/jat/26.4.201
3. Wurst FM, Skipper GE, Weinmann W. Ethyl glucuronide--the direct ethanol metabolite on the threshold from science to routine use. Addiction. 2003;98 (Suppl 2):51-61. doi:10.1046/j.1359-6357.2003.00588.x
4. Zimmer H, Schmitt G, Aderjan R. Preliminary immunochemical test for the determination of ethyl glucuronide in serum and urine: comparison of screening method results with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. J Anal Toxicol. 2002;26(1):11-16. doi:10.1093/jat/26.1.11
5. Weinmann W, Schaefer P, Thierauf A, Schreiber A, Wurst FM. Confirmatory analysis of ethyl glucuronide in urine by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization/tandem mass spectrometry according to forensic guidelines. J Am Soc Mass Spectrom. 2004;15(2):188-193. doi:10.1016/j.jasms.2003.10.010
6. Langman LJ, Bechtel LK, Holstege CP. Clinical toxicology. In: Rifai N, Chiu RWK, Young I, Burnham CAD, Wittwer CT, eds. Tietz Textbook of Laboratory Medicine. 7th ed. Elsevier; 2023:454
This assay is a homogeneous enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. The assay will be performed semiquantitatively. The assay is based on competition between free drug in the urine sample, and a drug labeled with the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase for a fixed amount of specific antibody binding sites. Active enzyme converts nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) to NADH, which results in an absorbance change that can be measured spectrophotometrically at 340 nm.(Package insert: DRI Ethyl Glucuronide Assay. Microgenics Corporation; 09/2015)
Monday through Saturday
This test was developed and its performance characteristics determined by Mayo Clinic in a manner consistent with CLIA requirements. It has not been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
80307
Test Id | Test Order Name | Order LOINC Value |
---|---|---|
ETGSR | Ethyl Glucuronide Scrn w/Reflex, U | 58375-7 |
Result Id | Test Result Name |
Result LOINC Value
Applies only to results expressed in units of measure originally reported by the performing laboratory. These values do not apply to results that are converted to other units of measure.
|
---|---|---|
616033 | Ethyl Glucuronide Screen, U | 58375-7 |