Dogs could eventually help detect asymptomatic coronavirus cases.
The University of Pennsylvania has enlisted eight Labrador retrievers in its research to determine whether dogs can sniff odors associated with the virus. If successful, the canines could be deployed to hospitals, businesses, or airports, the university said.
Researchers are training the dogs to recognize the scent using positive saliva samples and urine. Preliminary screening of humans by the dogs could begin as early as July, according to the university.
“The potential impact of these dogs and their capacity to detect COVID-19 could be substantial. This study will harness the dog’s extraordinary ability to support the nation’s COVID-19 surveillance systems, with the goal of reducing community spread,” said Dr. Cynthia Otto, who is leading the research.
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A similar study is underway at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Researchers there believe the dogs could potentially screen up to 250 people per hour.
“It’s early days for COVID-19 odor detection. We do not know if COVID-19 has a specific odor yet, but we know that other respiratory diseases change our body odor, so there is a chance that it does. And if it does, dogs will be able to detect it. This new diagnostic tool could revolutionize our response to COVID-19,” James Logan, head of the school’s disease control department, said in a statement.
Otto told the Washington Post the hardest part will be training the dogs to detect the virus in a live human.
“That’s going to be the next proof of concept: Can we train them to identify it when a person has it and that person’s moving? Or even standing still?” Otto said.
