Sniffer dogs performance is stable over time in detecting COVID-19 positive samples

This study evaluated the performance of Getxent tubes in collecting the odor of patients to:

• Train dogs to detect COVID-19.
• Determine if the volunteers are infected with COVID-19.

To do this, the volunteers were asked to hold a Getxent tube under each armpit for 20 minutes.

The results are:

• Laboratory tests showed 93% sensitivity and 99% specificity, which is better than Rapid Antigen Diagnostic (RAD) tests.
• When sniffing people directly, dogs achieved 89% sensitivity and 95% specificity, similar to RAD tests.

COVID-19 detection dogs perform better than or similarly to Rapid Antigen Diagnostic tests when trained with Getxent tubes and odor samples collected by Getxent tubes while providing several advantages:

• Cause minimal discomfort to patients.
• Are inexpensive to perform.
• Are easy to administer.
• Can be implemented for mass detection, where conventional testing is not feasible or easily accessible.
• Can be deployed faster as a first response to new threats or future pandemics.

> Read the study