Super sniffer dogs could help shorten testing lines at airports and mass events by detecting COVID-19 virus smells, scientists have found.
In the study, conducted by London School of Hygiene, dogs were trained to identify a distinctive odour produced by people with the virus at ports of entry— a smell which is undetectable to the human nose. Thanks to the impressive smelling ability of dogs, these pups were able to recognise COVID-19 smells in just seconds.
It might still be in the early trial stages, however scientists explain it's "further evidence that dogs are one of the most reliable biosensors for detecting the odour of human disease".
How did they conduct the study?
As part of the groundbreaking trial, dogs were trained to recognise the smell produced by people with COVID-19 using face masks, worn socks and other items of clothing. Some of the participants had common cold viruses, to see whether dogs could identify regular colds from the virus.
Their findings discovered that dogs correctly picked up 88% of COVID-19 cases, with many of them being able to sniff out the virus even when it was caused by different variants. However, they also incorrectly flagged 14% of people who didn't have COVID-19 as having the virus.
"The current methods of testing for COVID-19 are not suitable for rapid screening of large numbers of people, such as people found in airports or other public venues where you've got to screen a lot of people very quickly," James Logan, head of the department of disease control at the London School of Hygiene, told Hindustan Times.
"For other disease outbreaks in the future, we think dogs could be deployed quickly to screen people and help stop the outbreak when it first begins."
While the research team doesn't recommend dogs alone are used to sniff out positive cases, they believe the pups could be an additional screening tool alongside more conventional tests. With quick COVID-19 tests taking around 15 minutes to show a result, having dogs on hand to help could speed up the process, making it a "suitable method for mass screening".
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Lisa Joyner is the Deputy Daily Editor at House Beautiful UK and Country Living UK, where she's busy writing about home and interiors, gardening, dog breeds, pets, health and wellbeing, countryside news, small space inspiration, and the hottest properties on the market. Previously, she has written for Conde Nast Traveller, House & Garden and Marie Claire magazine. Lisa studied at University For The Creative Arts, where she completed a BA in Fashion Journalism.
