The detection dogs test is more sensitive than real-time PCR in screening for SARS-CoV-2.
Commun Biol
; 4(1): 686, 2021 06 03.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1260959
ABSTRACT
In January 2020, the coronavirus disease was declared, by the World Health Organization as a global public health emergency. Recommendations from the WHO COVID Emergency Committee continue to support strengthening COVID surveillance systems, including timely access to effective diagnostics. Questions were raised about the validity of considering the RT-PCR as the gold standard in COVID-19 diagnosis. It has been suggested that a variety of methods should be used to evaluate advocated tests. Dogs had been successfully trained and employed to detect diseases in humans. Here we show that upon training explosives detection dogs on sniffing COVID-19 odor in patients' sweat, those dogs were able to successfully screen out 3249 individuals who tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2, from a cohort of 3290 individuals. Additionally, using Bayesian analysis, the sensitivity of the K9 test was found to be superior to the RT-PCR test performed on nasal swabs from a cohort of 3134 persons. Given its high sensitivity, short turn-around-time, low cost, less invasiveness, and ease of application, the detection dogs test lends itself as a better alternative to the RT-PCR in screening for SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic individuals.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Working Dogs
/
COVID-19 Testing
/
COVID-19
/
Odorants
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Diagnostic study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Animals
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
/
Young adult
Language:
English
Journal:
Commun Biol
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S42003-021-02232-9
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