| Title: | COVID-19 detection by dogs: from physiology to field application-a review article |
| Author(s): | Sakr R; Ghsoub C; Rbeiz C; Lattouf V; Riachy R; Haddad C; Zoghbi M; |
| Address: | "Family Medicine, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon. Family Medicine, Saint Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon. CHU Rouen, Rouen, Normandie, France. Hotel-Dieu De France, Achrafieh, Lebanon. Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross, Jal el Dib, Mont-Liban, Lebanon. CH Esquirol, Limoges, Limousin, France. Family Medicine, Saint Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon marwan.zoghbi@usj.edu.lb" |
| DOI: | 10.1136/postgradmedj-2020-139410 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1469-0756 (Electronic) 0032-5473 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "For years, the dog, man's best friend, was the most widely employed scent-detector tool for civilian and military purposes. Recently, many studies highlighted the role of canine olfactory ability in the medical field, specifically in detecting different infectious, metabolic and neoplastic conditions. The objective of this literature review is to clarify the rationale behind dog's ability to detect diseases, to assess the possible application for COVID-19 detection and to discuss the evidence available on the matter. Available evidence shows that properly trained disease-detector dogs are an efficient tool for identification of specific disease-associated volatile organic compounds marker profiles for a particular disease. And since COVID-19 positive persons have a specific volatilome different from non-infected persons, they can be recognised by the dogs, by sniffing different body fluids consequently aiding in the diagnosis of COVID-19. Possible applications of dogs as COVID-19 detectors will be an easy real-time mobile diagnostic aid with low cost and good performance. More evidence is needed to be able to describe standardised measures concerning the best fluid to test, testing procedure, time of possible detection according to disease evolution, risks associated with the dog exposure and to translate the good results in study setting into the real-life operational one" |
| Keywords: | Animals *covid-19 Dogs Humans Odorants SARS-CoV-2 Smell *Volatile Organic Compounds Covid-19 epidemiology public health; |
| Notes: | "MedlineSakr, Rania Ghsoub, Cedra Rbeiz, Celine Lattouf, Vanessa Riachy, Rachelle Haddad, Chadia Zoghbi, Marouan eng Review England 2021/02/13 Postgrad Med J. 2022 Mar; 98(1157):212-218. doi: 10.1136/postgradmedj-2020-139410. Epub 2021 Feb 11" |
