Untargeted Metabolomics in Forensic Toxicology: A New Approach for the Detection of Fentanyl Intake in Urine Samples.

The misuse of fentanyl, and novel synthetic opioids (NSO) in general, has become a public health emergency, especially in the United States. The detection of NSO is often challenged by the limited diagnostic time frame allowed by urine sampling and the wide range of chemically modified analogues, continuously introduced to the recreational drug market. In this study, an untargeted metabolomics approach was developed to obtain a comprehensive "fingerprint" of any anomalous and specific metabolic pattern potentially related to fentanyl exposure.

Sylvatic Canine Morbillivirus in Captive Highlights Viral Promiscuity and the Need for Better Prevention Strategies.

Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) is a multi-host morbillivirus that infects virtually all and a few non-human primates. Here we describe a CDV outbreak in an exotic felid rescue center that led to the death of eight felids in the genus . Similar to domestic dogs and in contrast to previously described CDV cases in , severe pneumonia was the primary lesion and no viral antigens or CDV-like lesions were detected in the central nervous system.