Can the detection dog alert on COVID-19 positive persons by sniffing axillary sweat samples? A proof-of-concept study

Dominique Grandjean, Riad Sarkis, Clothilde Lecoq-Julien, Aymeric Benard, Vinciane Roger, Eric Levesque, Eric Bernes-Luciani, Bruno Maestracci, Pascal Morvan, Eric Gully, David Berceau-Falancourt, Pierre Haufstater, Gregory Herin, Joaquin Cabrera, Quentin Muzzin, Capucine Gallet, Hélène Bacqué, Jean-Marie Broc, Leo Thomas, Anthony Lichaa, Georges Moujaes, Michele Saliba, Aurore Kuhn, Mathilde Galey, Benoit Berthail, Lucien Lapeyre, Anthoni Capelli, Steevens Renault, Karim Bachir, Anthony Kovinger, Eric Comas, Aymeric Stainmesse, Erwan Etienne, Sébastien Voeltzel, Sofiane Mansouri, Marlène Berceau-Falancourt, Aimé Dami, Lary Charlet, Eric Ruau, Mario Issa, Carine Grenet, Christophe Billy, Jean-Pierre Tourtier, Loïc Desquilbet, Dominique Grandjean, Riad Sarkis, Clothilde Lecoq-Julien, Aymeric Benard, Vinciane Roger, Eric Levesque, Eric Bernes-Luciani, Bruno Maestracci, Pascal Morvan, Eric Gully, David Berceau-Falancourt, Pierre Haufstater, Gregory Herin, Joaquin Cabrera, Quentin Muzzin, Capucine Gallet, Hélène Bacqué, Jean-Marie Broc, Leo Thomas, Anthony Lichaa, Georges Moujaes, Michele Saliba, Aurore Kuhn, Mathilde Galey, Benoit Berthail, Lucien Lapeyre, Anthoni Capelli, Steevens Renault, Karim Bachir, Anthony Kovinger, Eric Comas, Aymeric Stainmesse, Erwan Etienne, Sébastien Voeltzel, Sofiane Mansouri, Marlène Berceau-Falancourt, Aimé Dami, Lary Charlet, Eric Ruau, Mario Issa, Carine Grenet, Christophe Billy, Jean-Pierre Tourtier, Loïc Desquilbet

Abstract

The aim of this proof-of-concept study was to evaluate if trained dogs could discriminate between sweat samples from symptomatic COVID-19 positive individuals (SARS-CoV-2 PCR positive) and those from asymptomatic COVID-19 negative individuals. The study was conducted at 2 sites (Paris, France, and Beirut, Lebanon), followed the same training and testing protocols, and involved six detection dogs (three explosive detection dogs, one search and rescue dog, and two colon cancer detection dogs). A total of 177 individuals were recruited for the study (95 symptomatic COVID-19 positive and 82 asymptomatic COVID-19 negative individuals) from five hospitals, and one underarm sweat sample per individual was collected. The dog training sessions lasted between one and three weeks. Once trained, the dog had to mark the COVID-19 positive sample randomly placed behind one of three or four olfactory cones (the other cones contained at least one COVID-19 negative sample and between zero and two mocks). During the testing session, a COVID-19 positive sample could be used up to a maximum of three times for one dog. The dog and its handler were both blinded to the COVID-positive sample location. The success rate per dog (i.e., the number of correct indications divided by the number of trials) ranged from 76% to 100%. The lower bound of the 95% confidence interval of the estimated success rate was most of the time higher than the success rate obtained by chance after removing the number of mocks from calculations. These results provide some evidence that detection dogs may be able to discriminate between sweat samples from symptomatic COVID-19 individuals and those from asymptomatic COVID-19 negative individuals. However, due to the limitations of this proof-of-concept study (including using some COVID-19 samples more than once and potential confounding biases), these results must be confirmed in validation studies.

Conflict of interest statement

DiagNose, Cynopro Detection Dogs, ICTS Europe, Biodesiv SAS, and Mario K9 provided support in the form of salaries for authors. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. There are no patents, products in development or marketed products associated with this research to declare.

Figures

Fig 1. Individual informed consent form.
Fig 1. Individual informed consent form.
Fig 2. Underarm sampling.
Fig 2. Underarm sampling.
Fig 3. Sampling materials.
Fig 3. Sampling materials.
Fig 4. Anonymous form for each coded…
Fig 4. Anonymous form for each coded sample.
Fig 5. Testing equipment.
Fig 5. Testing equipment.
Fig 6. 4-olfactory cone line-up.
Fig 6. 4-olfactory cone line-up.
Fig 7. A dog marking a cone…
Fig 7. A dog marking a cone on a 4-cone lineup.

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