A study found that canine scent is very reliable …

French study found that trained dogs are a very reliable way to smell COVID-19, with a sensitivity level of approximately 97 percent than the offer of PCR tests.

The investigation was conducted with sweat samples taken with compresses from 335 people who came for coronavirus tests between March 16 and April 9.

According to Dominique grandjean, one of the researchers from the Alfort National Veterinary School (EnvA) responsible for the study, the results “exceeded expectations”

In a video posted by EnvA, Grandjean explained that once the samples were taken, they were presented to nine dogs that had no contact with these people, of which 109 were positive when subjected to a PCR test which was carried out from the cells collected with a rod inserted into the nostrils.

Animals who were part of the investigation, some of whom work with firefighters in France and others are from the United Arab Emirates, identified 97% of positive sweat pads, resulting in a confidence interval of 92-99%.

The EnvA, which launched the investigation in association with the organization grouping the public hospitals of the Paris region (AP-HP), with the Regional Health Agency and with the Ile de France region itself, underlined in a press release that dogs do not need more than a “split second” for each exam.

This is an advantage in terms of time, compared to the PCR test which requires several hours in the laboratory, but also in terms of cost, and is less invasive for humans.

Confirmation of the effectiveness of this method, which is the first study of its kind at the international level, could pave the way for a wider use of this procedure, for example, to decide who should undergo a virological test and to facilitate detection. mass thanks to the rapid response of dogs.

Beyond covid, this technique offers “promising” prospects for the diagnosis of other diseases. The use of dog scent to detect coronavirus patients has spread in recent months in many countries.