New Test for Alcohol Abuse

An improved test for carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), for the identification of alcohol abuse, features higher sensitivity, shorter turn-around time, and temperature independence, as compared to the original test.

The test, a heterogeneous immunoassay, is the most reliable and specific biomarker available on the market for identifying heavy alcohol consumption, says Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (Hercules, CA, USA), which developed the test. The benefit of its test, called %CDT TIA, is that few conditions other than heavy drinking will cause CDT to be elevated. The improved version is more specific than its forerunner and is 20 minutes shorter. Also, it can be run within a broader range of ambient temperatures. Both tests measure the amount of CDT in proportion to total transferrin.

Bio-Rad notes that the test has been used by transportation companies and alcohol treatment centers in Europe and elsewhere abroad and by the US insurance industry. Alcohol treatment programs can also use the test to identify alcohol use and refine intervention strategies when relapse occurs. The test kits have been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).




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