Scent dog identification of SARS-CoV-2 infections, similar across different body fluids

Abstract

Background: The main strategy to contain the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic remains to implement a comprehensive testing, tracing and quarantining strategy until vaccination of the population is adequate. Methods: Ten dogs were trained to detect SARS-CoV-2 infections in beta-propiolactone inactivated saliva samples. The subsequent cognitive transfer performance for the recognition of non-inactivated samples were tested on saliva, urine, and sweat in a randomised, double-blind controlled study. Results: Dogs were tested on a total of 5242 randomised sample presentations. Dogs detected non-inactivated saliva samples with a diagnostic sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 95%. In a subsequent experiment to compare the scent recognition between the three non-inactivated body fluids, diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 95% and 98% for urine, 91% and 94% for sweat, 82%, and 96% for saliva respectively. Conclusions: The scent cognitive transfer performance between inactivated and non-inactivated samples as well as between different sample materials indicates that global, specific SARS-CoV-2-associated volatile compounds are released across different body secretions, independently from the patient's symptoms. Funding: The project was funded as a special research project of the German Armed Forces. The funding source DZIF- Fasttrack 1.921 provided us with means for biosampling.

Using trained dogs and organic semi-conducting sensors to identify asymptomatic and mild SARS-CoV-2 infections: an observational study

“… 13–16 Dogs have an extraordinary olfactory capability with odour detection 10 000–100 000 times higher than an average person, and the dog’s lower limit of detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is one part per trillion. 17 Several pilot studies suggest that dogs can detect hospitalised patients with SARS-CoV-2 in Colombia, 18 France, 19 Germany, 20 , 21 Iran, 22 Lebanon, 19 United Arab Emirates 23 and USA 24 with a high sensitivity and/or specificity. Here, we aimed to assess whether there is a specific odour associated with infection with SARS-CoV-2, and whether trained dogs and organic semi-conducting (OSC) sensors can distinguish between the odour of uninfected individuals (real-time RT-PCR negative) and infected individuals (real-time RT-PCR positive) who are displaying mild symptoms or are asymptomatic ( Appendix 2 pp 5 , available as Supplementary data at JTM online).…”

COVID-19 Sniffer Dog experimental training: which protocol and which implications for reliable identification?

“…10 The same approach could be used for COVID-19 detection, as described in previous studies. [11][12][13][14] The VOCs could be useful in clinical diagnosis od different disease inclusding bacterial and viral infections as SARS-CoV-2 causing COVID-19interstizial bilateral pneumonia [11][12][13][14] . In a recent study, dogs professionally trained were evalutaed for glucose levels detection in patients with diabetes.…”