title: Report on an anti-doping operation in Guadeloupe: High number of positive cases and inferences about doping habits.
abstract: Anti-doping controls in non-major events are relatively infrequent and athletes that compete only in these events are less likely to be controlled. The French Anti-Doping Agency carried out an anti-doping operation during a regional cycling competition in Guadeloupe. The urine and serum samples were analysed by the French anti-doping laboratory. Out of 42 athletes, 7 were positive for one or more substances prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Four serum samples contained continuous erythropoietin receptor activator (CERA) and one a recombinant erythropoietin. However, no traces were found in the corresponding urines. One of the athletes positive for CERA was also positive for growth hormone (GH), identified using the GH isoform test. The same serum was negative with the GH biomarkers test, probably because of the brief interval between injection and control (less than a day). The stimulants heptaminol and dimethylbutylamine, as well as the glucocorticoid prednisone and its metabolite prednisolone, were also found. Strikingly, 16.6% of the controlled athletes were using one or more prohibited drugs. These findings indicate that doping is widespread in athletes competing regionally and that CERA is still a popular drug for endurance sports. They underline the need for more controls, particularly blood sampling during non-major competitions. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
authors.affiliation: Analysis Department, Agence Française de Lutte contre le Dopage (AFLD), 143 avenue Roger Salengro, 92290, Châtenay-Malabry, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2670-6939
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marchand
authors.affiliation: Analysis Department, Agence Française de Lutte contre le Dopage (AFLD), 143 avenue Roger Salengro, 92290, Châtenay-Malabry, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Buisson
authors.affiliation: Analysis Department, Agence Française de Lutte contre le Dopage (AFLD), 143 avenue Roger Salengro, 92290, Châtenay-Malabry, France.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Analysis Department, Agence Française de Lutte contre le Dopage (AFLD), 143 avenue Roger Salengro, 92290, Châtenay-Malabry, France.
authors.forename: J-A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Analysis Department, Agence Française de Lutte contre le Dopage (AFLD), 143 avenue Roger Salengro, 92290, Châtenay-Malabry, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Molina
authors.affiliation: Control Department, Agence Française de Lutte contre le Dopage (AFLD), 8 rue Auber, 75009, Paris, France.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ressiot
mesh_terms: D056352:Athletes; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D004300:Doping in Sports; D004921:Erythropoietin; D019430:Guadeloupe; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; C508420:continuous erythropoietin receptor activator; D004921:Erythropoietin; D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols
keywords: CERA; GH; cycling race; doping; stimulants