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Scent dog identification of SARS-CoV-2 infections, similar across different body fluids

Paula Jendrny, View ORCID ProfileFriederike Twele, View ORCID ProfileSebastian Meller, Claudia Schulz, Maren von Köckritz-Blickwede, Ab Osterhaus, Hans Ebbers, Janek Ebbers, Veronika Pilchová, Isabell Pink, Tobias Welte, Michael Peter Manns, Anahita Fathi, Marylyn Martina Addo, Christiane Ernst, Wencke Schäfer, Michael Engels, Anja Petrov, Katharina Marquart, Ulrich Schotte, Esther Schalke, View ORCID ProfileHolger Andreas Volk
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.05.434038
Paula Jendrny
aDepartment of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 9, 30559 Hannover, Germany
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Friederike Twele
aDepartment of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 9, 30559 Hannover, Germany
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Sebastian Meller
aDepartment of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 9, 30559 Hannover, Germany
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Claudia Schulz
bResearch Center for Emerging Infections and Zoonoses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
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Maren von Köckritz-Blickwede
bResearch Center for Emerging Infections and Zoonoses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
dDepartment of Biochemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
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Ab Osterhaus
bResearch Center for Emerging Infections and Zoonoses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
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Hans Ebbers
cKynoScience UG, Am Teutohang 51, 48477 Hörstel, Germany
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Janek Ebbers
cKynoScience UG, Am Teutohang 51, 48477 Hörstel, Germany
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Veronika Pilchová
bResearch Center for Emerging Infections and Zoonoses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
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Isabell Pink
eDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany
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Tobias Welte
eDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany
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Michael Peter Manns
fHannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany
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Anahita Fathi
gDepartment of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University Medical-Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
hDepartment for Clinical Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
iGerman Center for Infection Research, Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Germany
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Marylyn Martina Addo
gDepartment of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University Medical-Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
hDepartment for Clinical Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
iGerman Center for Infection Research, Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Germany
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Christiane Ernst
jBundeswehr Medical Service Headquarters, Koblenz, Germany
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Wencke Schäfer
kBundeswehr School of Dog handling, Gräfin-Maltzan-Kaserne, Hochstraße, 56766 Ulmen, Germany
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Michael Engels
kBundeswehr School of Dog handling, Gräfin-Maltzan-Kaserne, Hochstraße, 56766 Ulmen, Germany
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Anja Petrov
lCentral Institute of the Bundeswehr Medical Service Kiel, Kronshagen, Germany
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Katharina Marquart
lCentral Institute of the Bundeswehr Medical Service Kiel, Kronshagen, Germany
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Ulrich Schotte
lCentral Institute of the Bundeswehr Medical Service Kiel, Kronshagen, Germany
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Esther Schalke
kBundeswehr School of Dog handling, Gräfin-Maltzan-Kaserne, Hochstraße, 56766 Ulmen, Germany
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Holger Andreas Volk
aDepartment of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 9, 30559 Hannover, Germany
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  • ORCID record for Holger Andreas Volk
  • For correspondence: holger.volk@tiho-hannover.de
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ABSTRACT

Background The main strategy to contain the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic remains to implement a comprehensive testing, tracing and quarantining strategy until vaccination of the population is adequate.

Methods Ten dogs were trained to detect SARS-CoV-2 infections in beta-propiolactone inactivated saliva samples. The subsequent cognitive transfer performance for the recognition of non-inactivated samples were tested on saliva, urine, and sweat in a randomised, double-blind controlled study.

Results Dogs were tested on a total of 5242 randomised sample presentations. Dogs detected non-inactivated saliva samples with a diagnostic sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 95%. In a subsequent experiment to compare the scent recognition between the three non-inactivated body fluids, diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 95% and 98% for urine, 91% and 94% for sweat, 82%, and 96% for saliva respectively.

Conclusions The scent cognitive transfer performance between inactivated and non-inactivated samples as well as between different sample materials indicates that global, specific SARS-CoV-2-associated volatile compounds are released across different body secretions, independently from the patient’s symptoms.

Funding The project was funded as a special research project of the German Armed Forces. The funding source DZIF-Fasttrack 1.921 provided us with means for biosampling.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

  • List of abbreviations

    RT-PCR
    reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test
    VOCs
    volatile organic compounds
    DDTS
    Dog Detection Training System
    BPL
    beta-propiolactone
    TP
    true positive
    FP
    false positive
    TN
    true negative
    FN
    false negative
    CI
    confidence interval
    TADD
    Training Aid Delivery Device
  • Copyright 
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    Posted March 05, 2021.
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    Scent dog identification of SARS-CoV-2 infections, similar across different body fluids
    Paula Jendrny, Friederike Twele, Sebastian Meller, Claudia Schulz, Maren von Köckritz-Blickwede, Ab Osterhaus, Hans Ebbers, Janek Ebbers, Veronika Pilchová, Isabell Pink, Tobias Welte, Michael Peter Manns, Anahita Fathi, Marylyn Martina Addo, Christiane Ernst, Wencke Schäfer, Michael Engels, Anja Petrov, Katharina Marquart, Ulrich Schotte, Esther Schalke, Holger Andreas Volk
    bioRxiv 2021.03.05.434038; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.05.434038
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    Scent dog identification of SARS-CoV-2 infections, similar across different body fluids
    Paula Jendrny, Friederike Twele, Sebastian Meller, Claudia Schulz, Maren von Köckritz-Blickwede, Ab Osterhaus, Hans Ebbers, Janek Ebbers, Veronika Pilchová, Isabell Pink, Tobias Welte, Michael Peter Manns, Anahita Fathi, Marylyn Martina Addo, Christiane Ernst, Wencke Schäfer, Michael Engels, Anja Petrov, Katharina Marquart, Ulrich Schotte, Esther Schalke, Holger Andreas Volk
    bioRxiv 2021.03.05.434038; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.05.434038

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