1
|
Callewaert C, Pezavant M, Vandaele R, Meeus B, Vankrunkelsven E, Van Goethem P, Plumacker A, Misset B, Darcis G, Piret S, De Vleeschouwer L, Staelens F, Van Varenbergh K, Tombeur S, Ottevaere A, Montag I, Vandecandelaere P, Jonckheere S, Vandekerckhove L, Tobback E, Wieers G, Marot JC, Anseeuw K, D’Hoore L, Tuyls S, De Tavernier B, Catteeuw J, Lotfi A, Melnik A, Aksenov A, Grandjean D, Stevens M, Gasthuys F, Guyot H. Sniffing out safety: canine detection and identification of SARS-CoV-2 infection from armpit sweat. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023; 10:1185779. [PMID: 37822474 PMCID: PMC10563588 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1185779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Detection dogs were trained to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection based on armpit sweat odor. Sweat samples were collected using cotton pads under the armpits of negative and positive human patients, confirmed by qPCR, for periods of 15-30 min. Multiple hospitals and organizations throughout Belgium participated in this study. The sweat samples were stored at -20°C prior to being used for training purposes. Six dogs were trained under controlled atmosphere conditions for 2-3 months. After training, a 7-day validation period was conducted to assess the dogs' performances. The detection dogs exhibited an overall sensitivity of 81%, specificity of 98%, and an accuracy of 95%. After validation, training continued for 3 months, during which the dogs' performances remained the same. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis revealed a unique sweat scent associated with SARS-CoV-2 positive sweat samples. This scent consisted of a wide variety of volatiles, including breakdown compounds of antiviral fatty acids, skin proteins and neurotransmitters/hormones. An acceptability survey conducted in Belgium demonstrated an overall high acceptability and enthusiasm toward the use of detection dogs for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Compared to qPCR and previous canine studies, the detection dogs have good performances in detecting SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans, using frozen sweat samples from the armpits. As a result, they can be used as an accurate pre-screening tool in various field settings alongside the PCR test.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chris Callewaert
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Maria Pezavant
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Clinique Vétérinaire Universitaire (CVU), University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Benoit Misset
- CHU-Sart-Tilman, Intensive Care Unit, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Gilles Darcis
- CHU-Sart-Tilman, Infectious Diseases – Internal Medicine, Public Health Sciences, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Sonia Piret
- CHU-Bruyères, Intensive Care Unit, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Stijn Jonckheere
- Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology, Jan Yperman Hospital, Ypres, Belgium
| | - Linos Vandekerckhove
- HIV Cure Research Center, Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Els Tobback
- Department of General Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Gregoire Wieers
- General Internal Medicine, Clinique Saint-Pierre Ottignies, Ottignies, Belgium
- Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences (Narilis) and Department of Medicine, University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | | | - Kurt Anseeuw
- Department of Emergency Medicine, ZNA, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Leen D’Hoore
- Belgian Defence, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Emergency Medicine, ZNA, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Sebastiaan Tuyls
- Respiratory Medicine, GasthuisZusters (GZA) Hospital Group, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Brecht De Tavernier
- Emergency Medicine and Intensive Care, GasthuisZusters (GZA) Hospital Group, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Ali Lotfi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Alexey Melnik
- Department of Chemistry, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Alexander Aksenov
- Department of Chemistry, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Dominique Grandjean
- Nosaïs Program, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort (Alfort School of Veterinary Medicine), University Paris-Est, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | | | - Frank Gasthuys
- Department of Surgery, Anesthesiology and Orthopedics of Large Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Hugues Guyot
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Clinique Vétérinaire Universitaire (CVU), University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|