Detection of the administration of human erythropoietin (HuEPO) to canines

Recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) doping is prohibited in animal (canine and equine) sport. The effectiveness of a range of immunoassay screening methods for the detection of rHuEPO in canine urine was evaluated. The excretion profiles following rHuEPO administration to dogs were investigated. The presence of rHuEPO in postadministration samples was confirmed using the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-approved isoelectric focusing immunoblotting confirmatory technique. Following the administration study, a screening program involving approximately 6000 greyhound sport (mostly racing) samples was undertaken for rHuEPO. This resulted in the detection of the first rHuEPO positives in the world of canine or equine sport. In an additional case, endogenous HuEPO was detected in a sample submitted as greyhound urine. It was determined that this arose from the submission to control stewards, as greyhound urine, of a substance that was, in fact, human urine. This was a particularly welcome development as definitive confirmatory evidence of such sample switching can be difficult to obtain in the case of greyhounds.