VOLUME 22 NUMBER 1 SPRING – 2018 ISSN 1496-3876
BIOTIN SUPPLEMENTATION AND LABORATORY INTERFERENCE: An Unintended Consequence in the Pursuit of Beauty
Biotin is non-toxic even at large doses and excess quantities are cleared by the kidneys. Although high levels of biotin are not harmful physiologically, they may compromise the results of laboratory tests which employ biotin-streptavidin technology. Biotin-streptavidin binding is commonly found in immunoassays due to its avidity, sensitivity, specificity, and stability. A broad range of tests, such as those used in the diagnosis and/or monitoring of cardiac disease, endocrinopathies, malignancies, anemias, autoimmune and infectious diseases, may be affected by biotin.
Vitamin B7, more commonly known as biotin, is a water-soluble vitamin that functions as a coenzyme for carboxylase reactions. With a recommended dietary reference intake (DRI) of 30 μg/day, biotin supplementation is seldom indicated in healthy individuals, as biotin is found in various foods, including eggs, fish, meat, cauliflower, spinach, and avocado. Biotin in daily doses of 5-30 mg may be prescribed in certain inborn errors of metabolism, such as biotinidase deficiency or propionic acidemia.
CMPT and POLQM and International Outreach
Clinical Microbiology Proficiency Testing and its sister program: Program Office for Laboratory Quality Management, have for many years had a positive international profile. In part that derived from working collaborations with the US Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, the Saudi Quality Council, the International Organization for Standardization and our own Standards Council of Canada.
Thank you Dr. Diane Roscoe
After 24 years of serving on the CMPT Clinical Bacteriology Committee we are saying good-bye to Dr. Roscoe, at least for the time being. Dr. Roscoe, in her own style, has been a thought provoker on the committee, sitting back and listening, only to quietly pose the always correct piercing central question, resulting in the appropriate pause and rethink and an adjusted committee decision.
