Scots scientists believe rats could help in fight against coronavirus SCOTS scientists believe rats could be trained to sniff out Covid. University of Glasgow academics are currently supporting a project that is training sniffer rats to detect a disease that is devastating livestock farmers in the world’s poorest countries. Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonotic disease that causes humans flu-like symptoms, problems in bones, joints and heart, and in some cases death. But it is expensive and hard to detect. And now the University of Glasgow is working with researchers at Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania on a project funded by the to use sniffer rats to tackle the problem.
Scots scientists using giant âsnifferâ rats to identify deadly animal diseases
Glasgow University scientists are using the clever rodents to sniff out brucellosis - a disease that devastates livestock
One of the giant rats being used in the Glasgow University project. (Image: Daily Record)
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Giant 3ft rats trained to sniff out deadly viruses like Covid-19 that jump from animals to humans
Professor Rudovick Kazwala from Sokoine University in Morogoro, Tanzania said rats have been trained to sniff out tuberculosis but hope the creatures can move onto Brucellosis, an infection that spreads from animals to people
Updated
The Government-funded project is aimed at teaching giant rats to sniff out Brucellosis (Image: Peter Kovalev/TASS)
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