Field detection of sulfonamides in urine: the development of a new and sensitive test.
A new, field-adapted, colorimetric method for detecting sulfonamide drugs in urine is described. The method uses the color reagent, p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde, and has a detection limit of about 1 microgram/ml. Analysis of 35 samples collected in the field, comparing results obtained with the colorimetric field test with those obtained using high-performance liquid chromatography, indicated a calculated sensitivity value of 94% and a specificity value of 94% for the test to detect the presence of sulfonamides. The field test can be modified to allow quantitation of sulfonamides in urine in field situations, using a hand-held, portable photometer for measuring the absorbance of test solutions. For this test, calculated coefficients of variation for day to day reproducibility were < or = 5% at sulfonamide concentrations > or = 3 micrograms/ml. This new test for detecting the presence of sulfonamides in urine is more sensitive and reliable than the presently used Bratton-Marshall test.
Mount
D L
DL
Entomology Branch, and Epidemiology Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Green
M D
MD
Zucker
J R
JR
Were
J B
JB
Todd
G D
GD
D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003124:Colorimetry; D006801:Humans; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000652:urine*
D013449:Sulfonamides