A cluster of trace-concentration methamphetamine identifications in racehorses associated with a methamphetamine-contaminated horse trailer: A report and analysis
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Kimberly Brewer1, Theodore F Shults1, Jacob Machin1
11711 Lakefield North Court, Wellington, Florida 33414, USA (Brewer); American Association of Medical Review Officers, 17 Running Brook Ct., Durham, North Carolina 27713, USA (Shults); Frontier BioPharm, PO Box 614, Richmond, Kentucky 40476, USA (Eisenberg); Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40546, USA (Kudrimoti, Machin, Tobin); Equine Integrated Medicine, PLC 4904 Ironworks Road, Georgetown, Kentucky 40324, USA (Fenger); Industrial Laboratories, 4046 Youngfield Street, Wheat Ridge, Colorado 80033, USA (Hartman, Wang); CanAlt Health Labs, 242 Applewood, Unit 3, Vaughan, Ontario (Beaumier).
Abstract:
Three low concentration methamphetamine "positive" tests were linked to use of a methamphetamine-contaminated trailer to transport the affected horses. This incident establishes methamphetamine as a human-use substance that can inadvertently enter the environment of racing horses, resulting in urinary methamphetamine "positives;" an interim regulatory cut-off of 15 ng/mL for methamphetamine in post-race urine is proposed.
Insights
Methamphetamine contamination in horse trailers can lead to false positives in racehorse drug tests. A proposed 15 ng/mL regulatory cut-off for methamphetamine in urine aims to address this environmental contamination issue.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Pharmacology
- Environmental Toxicology
- Equine Sports Medicine
Background:
- Racing horses undergo rigorous drug testing to ensure fair competition and animal welfare.
- Environmental contaminants can pose a challenge in interpreting drug test results.
Observation:
- Three racehorses tested positive for low concentrations of methamphetamine.
- The positive tests were traced back to the use of a trailer contaminated with methamphetamine for transporting the horses.
Findings:
- Methamphetamine, a human-use substance, can inadvertently contaminate the environment of racing horses.
- Environmental contamination can lead to positive results in post-race equine drug screenings.
Implications:
- This highlights the need to consider environmental factors in drug testing protocols for racehorses.
- An interim regulatory cut-off of 15 ng/mL for methamphetamine in post-race urine samples is proposed to mitigate issues related to environmental contamination.