Dogs can sniff out corona infected people.
This is shown by the results of a new study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).
London - According to a British study, trained dogs can recognize corona infected people by their smell.
Six dogs sniffed samples from infected people with an accuracy of 82 to 94 percent, said the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) on Monday (May 24).
The result confirms studies that have already been carried out, including from Germany.
The British researchers used socks from a total of 400 test subjects for their studies.
200 of the people were infected, but had no symptoms or at most mild symptoms, 200 were in the control group.
Corona study from London: dogs recognize infected people by their smell
The dogs, which are part of the Medical Detection Dogs charity, were trained for the original coronavirus. However, without additional training, they would have sniffed out Corona variant B.1.1.7, which was initially discovered in south-east England, quite well, explained study director James Logan. "That really gives us hope and suggests that dogs are able to discover different Corona variants," he said optimistically.
In the study, which had not yet been published in a journal, neither the dogs nor the scientists knew which samples were from corona infected people and which from healthy people.
Healthy subjects recognized the dogs correctly with a certainty of 76 to 92 percent.
In a next phase, the researchers now want to check whether the dogs can sniff out the corona virus in people in places with large crowds such as airports or stadiums.
If the animals strike, the suspected infected could be checked with a PCR test.
Dogs sniff out corona infected people: Already in action at the airport in Helsinki and Dubai
So far there have been several such dog studies.
A research team led by Holger Volk from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Hanover came to similar results.
Corona detection dogs are already being used at the airport in Helsinki and Dubai, for example.
According to the British researchers, this method could help detect more than twice as many positive corona cases as before.
"These fantastic results are further proof that dogs are one of the most reliable biosensors for detecting the smell of human disease," said Claire Guest of Medical Detection Dogs.
The study shows the enormous potential of dogs in the fight against the coronavirus.
(dpa / ph)
