URL copied
New UK study indicates trained dogs could sniff out COVID-19 infections
People who are infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 have a distinct odour that can be detected by trained dogs with a high degree of accuracy, according to new research in the UK.
In what has been described as the most complete study of its kind to date, combining dog trial, odour analysis and modelling, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) led collaborative research with the charity Medical Detection Dogs and Durham University to find that specially trained dogs can rapidly and non-invasively detect the disease with up to 94.3 per cent sensitivity and up to 92 per cent specificity.