According to a new study, trained dogs were able to detect COVID-19 better than antigenic PCR tests in both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals.
The Guardian reports:
Trained dogs were able to detect Covid in 97% of symptomatic cases and in almost 100% of asymptomatic cases.
The study involved 335 participants from Covid screening centers in Paris. Of the participants, 109 were positive for Covid, while 31 were asymptomatic.
The dogs came from French fire stations and the United Arab Emirates and were trained for three to six weeks, depending on whether they had previously been trained in odor detection.
The dogs smelled samples of human sweat placed in cones. When a dog spotted Covid, it was sitting in front of the cone.
Finally, trained dogs appear to be much more sensitive than nasal PCR tests, as they have been able to better detect positive cases.
In two false-positive cases, however, the dogs did not recognize other non-Covid strains of coronavirus respiratory disease. Although there have been previous studies on the ability of dogs to detect Covid, this is believed to be the first to compare the accuracy of dogs with antigen tests.
The study was published in Plos One.
