title: Dimethylamylamine: a drug causing positive immunoassay results for amphetamines.
abstract: The Department of Defense (DoD) operates six forensic urine drug-testing laboratories that screen close to 5 million urine samples for amphetamines yearly. Recently, the DoD laboratories have observed a significant decrease in the confirmation rates for amphetamines because of specimens screening positive by two separate immunoassays and confirming negative by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Previous studies conducted by the Division of Forensic Toxicology, Armed Force Institute of Pathology (AFIP) utilizing a GC-MS basic drug screen and a designer drug screen revealed no common compound or compound classes as to the cause of the immunoassay-positive results. Additional information obtained from an immunoassay vendor suggested the anorectic compound dimethylamylamine (DMAA) may be the cause of the false-positive screens. An additional 134 false-positive samples were received and analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) for DMAA. LC-MS-MS analysis revealed the presence of DMAA in 92.3% of the false-positive samples at a concentration of approximately 6.0 mg/L DMAA, causing a positive screen on both immunoassay kits.
authors: Division of Forensic Toxicology, Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, 1413 Research Boulevard, Building 102, Rockville, Maryland 20850, USA. shawn.vorce@us.army.mil
authors: Shawn P
authors: SP
authors: Vorce
authors: Justin M
authors: JM
authors: Holler
authors: Brian M
authors: BM
authors: Cawrse
authors: Joseph
authors: J
authors: Magluilo
mesh_terms: D000588:Amines; D000662:Amphetamines / Q000652:urine*; D001067:Appetite Depressants / Q000378:metabolism*; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry
chemical_list: D000588:Amines; D000662:Amphetamines; D001067:Appetite Depressants; C005264:n-amylamine