By Pooja Toshniwal PahariaApr 26 2023Reviewed by Lily Ramsey, LLM In a recent study published in the JAMA Pediatrics Journal, researchers reported on a dog screening program to complement a school-based severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 rapid antigen testing program. Scent-trained dogs are a strategy for rapid, non-invasive, low-cost COVID-19 testing.
Dogs trained to recognize scents provide a non-invasive, rapid, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable approach to screening for SARS-CoV-2. Previous studies have reported on the capability of dogs to detect COVID-19-associated volatile organic compounds in specimens obtained from individuals infected or uninfected with SARS-CoV-2.
Individuals stood six feet apart, and their handlers led the medical alert dogs to sniff the ankles and feet of the study participants. The individuals did not face the dogs to maintain confidentiality. The dogs sat down to indicate an individual as probably SARS-CoV-2-positive. Likewise, if the dogs did not provide any signal but the rapid antigen testing reports were SARS-CoV-2-positive, the pairing signal was regarded as a false negative.In addition, data were obtained on the type of schools and the number of dog-performed screenings .
The sample population largely comprised students , and 68% of the study participants were screened ≥2.0 times. Among students , 450 , 565 , 53 , and 315 were screened by dogs one time, two times, three times, and four or more times, respectively. The results of COVID-19 screening using dogs directly on individuals could be impacted by distractions and environmental variables such as wind and smells present in the surroundings, apart from those emitted by individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2.