By Press Association 2021
The dogs were able to sniff out samples from people who were infected with coronavirus but were asymptomatic
Covid-19 infection has a distinct smell that can be detected by specially trained dogs with up to 94% accuracy, UK research suggests.
The findings, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, are based on six dogs who tested more than 3,500 odour samples donated by the public and NHS staff.
The canines were able to sniff out samples from people who were infected with coronavirus but were asymptomatic, as well as those who had low viral loads.
They were also able to identify infections caused by the coronavirus strain that was dominant in the UK last summer as well as the UK (Kent) version of the virus which appeared later in the year.
›Dogs trained on smelly socks could be used at airports to pick up corona odour of Covid-infected people
Dogs trained on smelly socks could be used at airports to pick up corona odour of Covid-infected people
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Dogs trained on smelly socks could be used at airports to pick up corona odour of Covid-infected peopleAFP
Last Updated: May 24, 2021, 08:28 AM IST
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These dogs could screen a line of several hundred people coming off a plane within half an hour.
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The researchers said the dogs were even able to sniff out asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 cases, as well as cases caused by a mutant variant that emerged in the UK late last year.
Sniffer dogs detect Covid scent in major breakthrough against spread of virus
Six dogs tested more than 3,500 odour samples donated in study by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
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Covid-19 infection has its own distinct smell that can be detected by specially trained dogs with up to 94 per cent accuracy.
Prince Charles and Camilla have said that sniffer dogs trained using dirty socks to detect coronavirus on people have given the world faith that “safer travel” will happen.
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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.