Correlation of buccal mucosal transudate collected with a buccal swab and urine levels of cocaine.
In this preliminary study, the level of Benzoyl Ecgonine (BE), a metabolite of cocaine, was compared in urine and buccal mucosal transudate collected by a salt impregnated swab in volunteers admitted for cocaine use. The presence of BE (specificity) was verified by the SYVA EMIT method and the urine and transudate levels measured using the Sigma ELISA methods. Results were confirmed using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry. In all, 44 patients volunteered, and BE in urine or saliva confirmed that each volunteer had in fact used cocaine. The salt-impregnated swab permitted detection of cocaine or its derivative in 27 of the 44 cases. The paper discusses the possibility of using buccal mucosal transudate as collected by salt-impregnated buccal swab as a minimally-invasive measure of cocaine use. This method would allow positive confirmation by a witness that the sample came from a given patient.