45. Detection of Levamisole Exposure in Cocaine Users by LC-MS/MS

Poster: Tue 2:00-3:00PM

Kara L. Lynch University of California, San Francisco

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Levamisole, a veterinary antihelmintic, was recently recognized as a cocaine adulterant and can cause severe adverse reactions in some cocaine users. Due to the public health concerns, we developed a levamisole LC-MS/MS method using a QTRAP®LC-MS/MS. The method was linear from 5-1000 ng/mL (R2>0.99). Interday and intraday CVs were <6%. The LOD for levamisole was 0.5 ng/mL. This method was used to determine that the prevalence of levamisole in cocaine positive patient samples was 88%. The high prevalence of levamisole-adultered cocaine and potential toxicity in cocaine users is a serious health concern. These findings validate the utility of a levamisole LC-MS/MS method.

Email: kara.lynch@ucsf.edu

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