A new study published Monday has found that highly trained dogs can detect people with COVID-19 in under one second, that too with pinpoint precision.
The study found that COVID-19 patients have a distinct odor, which can be detected by the trained dogs – thanks to their strong olfactory receptors.
Experts have been studying how dogs could help detect certain health issues. For instance, Dr. Claire Guest, a member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors, has been studying how pets could be trained to help diagnose medical conditions.
She is the co-founder, CEO, and Chief Scientific Officer of Medical Detection Dogs, a UK-based organization that trains dogs to detect the odor of human disease to develop faster, more efficient, and less invasive diagnostics.
The study researchers used six dogs in the study and found that they could detect COVID-19 on clothing worn by infected people with up to 94.3% sensitivity, meaning they would accurately identify 94 out of every 100 infected people.
Dogs have beaten PCR tests on speed, making a diagnosis in under a second. The study’s co-lead Prof. James Logan said, “This includes people who are asymptomatic and also people with a low viral load.”
The team found that Tala, one of six dogs, was the most accurate sniffer, achieving 94.5% sensitivity, with a specificity of 92%.
Tala is one of Dr. Guest’s dogs, who was also involved in a separate study to detect bladder cancer. The dog subsequently diagnosed an early-stage tumor in Dr. Guest’s breast. Dr. Guest said, “She [Tala] just kept staring at me and nudging.”
Dr. Guest explained that gundog breeds, such as spaniels, retrievers, and Labradors, make particularly good detection dogs. She said, “These are dogs that absolutely just love searching. They’re also very friendly and they enjoy working in public places.”
For the current COVID study, the dogs were trained using T-shirts, socks, and masks donated by members of the public and NHS staff, some of whom had tested positive for COVID, according to The Guardian.
Although dogs were found to be accurate in detecting COVID-19, they will never replace PCR tests.
The study researchers believe dogs might be useful at airports, where they could rapidly screen and detect disembarking passengers. And those identified would require a confirmatory PCR test. The story was published in The Guardian.
