Scent dog identification of SARS-CoV-2 infections, similar across different body fluids

Jendrny, P.; Twele, F.; Meller, S.; Schulz, C.; von Koeckritz-Blickwede, M.; Osterhaus, A.; Ebbers, H.; Ebbers, J.; Pilchova, V.; Pink, I.; Welte, T.; Manns, M. P.; Fathi, A.; Addo, M. M.; Ernst, C.; Schaefer, W.; Engels, M.; Petrov, A.; Marquart, K.; Schotte, U.; Schalke, E.; Volk, H. A.

doi:10.1101/2021.03.05.434038

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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2021.03.05.434038

Scent dog identification of SARS-CoV-2 infections, similar across different body fluids

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Abstract

BackgroundThe main strategy to contain the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic remains to implement a comprehensive testing, tracing and quarantining strategy until vaccination of the population is adequate. MethodsTen dogs were trained to detect SARS-CoV-2 infections in beta-propiolactone inactivated saliva samples. The subsequent cognitive transfer performance for the recognition of non-inactivated samples were tested on saliva, urine, and sweat in a randomised, double-blind controlled study. ResultsDogs were tested on a total of 5242 randomised sample presentations. Dogs detected non-inactivated saliva samples with a diagnostic sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 95%. In a subsequent experiment to compare the scent recognition between the three non-inactivated body fluids, diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 95% and 98% for urine, 91% and 94% for sweat, 82%, and 96% for saliva respectively. ConclusionsThe scent cognitive transfer performance between inactivated and non-inactivated samples as well as between different sample materials indicates that global, specific SARS-CoV-2-associated volatile compounds are released across different body secretions, independently from the patients symptoms. FundingThe project was funded as a special research project of the German Armed Forces. The funding source DZIF-Fasttrack 1.921 provided us with means for biosampling.

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Jendrny, P., Twele, F., Meller, S., Schulz, C., von Koeckritz-Blickwede, M., Osterhaus, A., Ebbers, H., Ebbers, J., Pilchova, V., Pink, I., Welte, T., Manns, M. P., Fathi, A., Addo, M. M., Ernst, C., Schaefer, W., Engels, M., Petrov, A., Marquart, K., Schotte, U., Schalke, E., Volk, H. A.. 2021-03-05. Scent dog identification of SARS-CoV-2 infections, similar across different body fluids. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.05.434038

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