In Rwanda, a recent study suggests that detection dogs can detect COVID as effectively as tests, and for cheaper.
Leon Mutesa, director of the Centre for Human Genetics at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences-University of Rwanda, led the study. With his team, Mutesa wanted to know if dogs could be a cost-effective and clinically accurate solution to PCR testing. Before the study could begin, researchers worked with Rwanda National Police to find appropriate dogs. Specifically, airport security officers obtained police dogs from the Netherlands to participate in the study.
How Detection Dogs Can Smell Disease
According to South Africa’s News24, research began with the Delta variant, in September 2021. “Over a period of five months,” the study said, “four dogs were trained to detect VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in sweat samples collected from human subjects confirmed positive or negative for COVID-19.” With cotton pads, researchers collected sweat samples from the underarm.
Interestingly, researchers trained the dogs using a scent-based Detection Dog Training System (DDTS). Inside the DDTS are five holes with L-shaped tubes coming out from behind them. At the end of the tubes, the samples lay on a mesh, allowing the scent to escape. As for the tube’s shape, it keeps the dogs from encountering visual cues.
What researchers found is that between the highest and lowest-performing dogs, the detection range is between “75.0 percent to 89.9 percent,” respectively. Unfortunately, the study mentions that during the second half of trials “ sensitivity decreased substantially from 36.6 to 41.5 percent.” However, specificity — the ability to avoid false positives — remained high at 95.0 percent.
An Effective Tool with an Affordable Price
Yet, the study’s best news is that detection dogs are notably more cost-effective for testing. For PCR testing for all 5,238 people in the sample, the price came out to $14,000 USD. Altogether, that’s about $2.67 USD per sample. Additionally, using dogs brought test result times down to three hours, compared to eleven for diagnostic testing.
Conclusively, the study states that detection dogs can be quickly and efficiently trained for COVID detection. Furthermore, they recommend that governments use dogs as a defense against infection. Finally, the study agrees with previous research suggesting dogs are as effective in detecting COVID as diagnostic tests.
