A THAI university said it has successfully trained sniffer dogs to detect people infected with Covid-19 but do not show symptoms.
A research team at Chulalongkorn University has so far trained six dogs and they are ready to be sent to airports to help in Covid-19 screenings there.
The Bangkok Post said that according to Chulalongkorn University’s journal website, the six Labrador retrievers were trained by researchers at the university’s Faculty of Veterinary.
The university said they had a 94.8 per cent accuracy in detecting asymptomatic cases.
Prof Kaywalee Chadarong, deputy dean of the faculty and head of the research team, said dogs’ noses were 50 times more sensitive than humans in detecting the smell.
The six retrievers were chosen as they had long nasal cavities and were excellent sniffers, and can be easily trained.
Describing the training process, researches said sweat samples from infected people were first collected.
Cotton buds and socks were used to absorb sweat under the subjects’ armpits and the samples were then put in a biosafety laboratory.
They then put in a can for the dogs to sniff.
“When the dog kneels down, it means that the sample is from an asymptomatic person.
“All testing process is safe for the dogs and staff involved,” said Associate Prof Somporn Techa-ngamsuwan, a veterinarian in infectious diseases and a member of the research team.
She said the three stage project was carried out for six months.
The first stage involved the training of the dogs to distinguish the smell of infected people, with border patrol police and a consulting firm helped trained the dogs.
The second stage is putting the canines to work at airports, ports and popular tourist venues, where the trained dogs will be sent to sniff people’s feet.
The third stage is the development of a sensor device to detect people at risk of infection.
The project is a joint effort between the Veterinary, Medicine and Science faculties of Chulalongkorn University, with Chevron Company providing the funding.- NST