Dogs could detect malaria in children, researchers say

It was known that dogs could feel in humans the signs of certain types of cancer and the risk of diabetic coma

It was known that dogs could feel in humans the signs of certain types of cancer and the risk of diabetic coma. Today, a group of researchers think that dogs can also be trained to detect malaria in children who still show no symptoms just by feeling their socks.

British researchers and experts from the NGO Medical Detection Dogs in The Gambia experience, which consisted of training dogs for months to stop when they sniffed a contaminated sock.

Their findings were presented at the annual conference of the American Society of Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana (south).

The socks – a total of 175 samples – belonged to Gambian children, 30 of whom had been found to be malaria positive, also known as malaria, but had not yet had a fever.

test after their training, dogs have correctly identified 70% of the socks of children infected with the malaria parasite, which generates an odor The purpose of this technique is to have a screening test fast, inexpensive and non-invasive to detect malaria, which is transmitted by infected mosquitoes.

The annual number of deaths from this disease is estimated at 445,000 worldwide. And the number of cases has increased in recent years, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Researchers believe that their technique can be further improved in terms of accuracy, as dogs will be trained with some degree socks.

For the experiment, the socks were previously frozen in the UK for the duration of the training, which could have limited effectiveness.

According to Steven Lindsay, entomologist at the British University of Durham. and the main author of the study, the technique could one day be used "at the points of entry of the country, in the same way that dogs are trained in the detection of fruits, vegetables or drugs in airports ".

"This could help prevent the spread of malaria in countries that have eradicated it and allow people who do not know that they are infected with the malaria parasite to receive medical treatment" to treat it, estimated.