Endotoxins are defined as toxins associated with the outer membranes of certain gram negative bacteria. Upon injection, endotoxins may cause a state of shock, fever, altered resistance to bacterial infection, as well as other biologic effects. Endotoxins are part of a larger group known as pyrogens. Pyrogens are fever inducing agents produced by bacteria, molds, viruses, and yeasts.

At Eagle Analytical Services, we use only the USP <85> turbidimetric method to test for bacterial endotoxins in compounded medications. Quantities of endotoxin are expressed in endotoxin units per milliliter (EU/mL). An endotoxin unit is a standardized unit of biologic activity, measured with the LAL test and calibrated to the USP/FDA reference endotoxin; it is equal to the international unit (IU) of activity used by the World Health Organization.

Eagle Analytical Services utilizes the top of the line Pyros Kinetix™ Incubating Kinetic Tube Reader, manufactured by Associates of Cape Cod (ACC). As the first company to be licensed from the FDA, ACC has continued to be a market leader in innovation and technology in the endotoxin testing industry. The Pyros Kinetix™ is based on the principle that, in the presence of endotoxin, LAL becomes turbid. The Pyros Kinetix™ is an extremely sensitive piece of equipment and gives Eagle Analytical Services the ability to detect endotoxin levels down to 0.001 EU/mL. Eagle Analytical Services also runs an inhibition/enhancement test on every sample we analyze.