Dogs can detect Covid with high accuracy, even asymptomatic cases

In a new study, dogs accurately identified 97 percent of positive Covid cases after smelling human sweat samples.

Questions about whether dogs can sniff out Covid — and how well — have intrigued researchers since early in the pandemic.

A study published Wednesday in the journal Plos One offers further evidence that dogs can indeed be trained to detect Covid. The dogs tested in the research accurately identified 97 percent of positive cases after sniffing human sweat samples. That made them more sensitive than some rapid antigen tests.

The samples were collected at community centers in Paris from a mix of symptomatic and asymptomatic cases, as well as healthy people without Covid. The researchers found the dogs to be especially good at detecting asymptomatic infections, with a sensitivity nearing 100 percent.

Previous studies have also highlighted this canine skill: Researchers in Florida last year found that that dogs could predict positive Covid tests with 73 to 93 percent accuracy after a month of training. In a U.K. study, dogs accurately pinpointed 82 to 94 percent of positive cases.

The new study was conducted in early 2021, so the dogs were identifying the original coronavirus. Dominique Grandjean, one of the study’s authors and a professor at the Alfort National Veterinary School in France, said he’s now examining how well dogs pick up on variants.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/dogs-detect-covid-accuracy-rcna31438

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