Dogs help to "detect and control malaria"

LONDON (Reuters) – British and Gambian scientists said they discovered the first evidence that dogs can detect malaria through smell.

Scientists were able to train dogs to identify the smell of the disease using the clothes of infected people.

Although the study is still in its infancy, experts say the findings could lead to new methods of detecting the disease.

• Malaria vaccine "could help protect" millions of children

Studies have already shown that malaria parasites change our odors and make us more attractive to the mosquitoes that spread the disease.

Smelly socks

The scientists used socks worn by children from the Upper Nile region of Gambia, West Africa, and sent to Britain for study.

Of these, 30 were from children of the disease, out of a total of 175 Gypsies.

The nauseating socks reached the Dogs of Medical Discovery charity in Milton Keynes.

Well trained dog noses are trained to detect cancer and even the early stages of Parkinson's disease.

With regard to malaria, the findings of the annual conference of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Public Health show that dogs can detect seven out of ten samples of children with the disease.

However, dogs misdiagnosed one healthy child out of 10.

Steve Lindsay, of Durham University and supervisor of the study, said he was "very happy" with the results so far, but the dogs were not yet ready for permanent use.

• Warnings on the return of global malaria epidemics

Researchers need to further improve the accuracy of dogs and test them to detect disease in humans rather than on socks, as well as to determine whether animals can detect different types of malaria through smell.

The study aspires to one day use dogs in airports in ways that prevent the spread of the disease and contribute to control efforts.

Dogs have the opportunity to test a whole set in a short time.

Faster than science

"Dogs already have a very high sense of smell in nature, so it's a gift," said Chelsea Squires, of the London School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

"It's faster than very fast diagnostic tests, which take about 20 minutes, and you need a full professional training to do it."

• False malaria drugs threaten the lives of millions of people

The latest global report on the disease indicated that the incidence of infection had increased by 5 million, bringing the total incidence to 216 million cases per year.

The study is a collaboration between Gambia's National Malaria Control Program, The Gambia Medical Research Council, The Kellabah Medical Discovery Foundation, The University of Durham, The School London Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Dundee University.

—————————————

You can receive notifications on the most important topics after downloading the latest version of the BBC Arabic application on your mobile phone.