Détection olfactive canine de la COVID-19. Le chien au service dela santé humaine

There is an increasing need for rapid, reliable, non-invasive, and inexpensive mass testing methods as the global COVID-19 pandemic continues. Detection dogs could be a possible solution to identify individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus. The NOSAÏS team of Alfort Veterinary School has shown that dogs can detect COVID-19 on sweat samples, reaching an average sensitivity of 95–97% and an average specificity of 92–94%. More than 50 countries worldwide have researches focused on the subject, and some of them already use canine olfactory detection of COVID-19 in airports, universities, nursing homes. Our studies suggest that dogs could play an important role in mass testing situations. Future challenges include optimal training methods and standardisation for large numbers of detection dogs, and infrastructures supporting their deployment.