Dogs have a sense of smell that is 10,000 times more accurate than that of humans thanks to its powerful odor receptors. Thanks to specialized training, dogs can detect diseases such as malaria, cancer or viral infections just by sniffing a person.
German researchers said they were able to train dogs to detect the coronavirus from a saliva sample.
The study, which is ongoing, was carried out by the Hanover University of Veterinary Medicine, the Hanover School of Medicine and the German Armed Forces.
The teams found that if they qualified, canines could distinguish saliva samples containing coronaviruses and samples from healthy people, observing an overall 94 percent success rate.
The new research brings hope that a simple procedure with trained dogs could prevent future waves of infections.
Airports and sporting events could greatly benefit from the immediate nature of the test.
It would also allow countries to significantly relax their blocking restrictions.
During investigative efforts, experts trained eight dogs from the German Armed Forces for a week.
The animals sniffed the saliva of more than 1,000 people, some of whom were healthy while others carried coronaviruses.
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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that while dogs can become infected with the coronavirus, there is no evidence to suggest that animals play a critical role in its transmission.
The research was published in BioMed Central Infectious Diseases on July 23.
It comes after a new international survey suggested that people over six feet tall “have twice the risk” of contracting coronavirus.
A total of 2,000 people in the United Kingdom and the United States (1,000 in each country) participated in the study.
The first findings “significantly” indicate that the virus could be transmitted through the air, known as aerosol transmission.
Professor Evan Kontopantelis of the University of Manchester said: “The results of this survey in terms of associations between height and diagnosis suggest that downward droplet transmission is not the only transmission mechanism and aerosol transmission is possible.
“This has been suggested by other studies, but our confirmation method is novel.
“Although social distancing is still important because droplet transmission is likely to occur, it suggests that wearing masks may be just as or more effective in prevention.”
“But also, air purification in interior spaces needs to be further explored.”
