Hospital staff helping dogs sniff out Covid
STAFF at Macclesfield Hospital are taking part in a trial to help dogs sniff out coronavirus.
The group of five volunteers are giving odour samples from masks, socks and t-shirts they have worn to the tests.
Samples are used to see if bio-detection dogs can use their sense of smell to see if they can find a presence of the virus in humans.
If these trials are successful then the dogs could be used as a new rapid-response diagnostic tool.
The project is being led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) in collaboration with the charity Medical Detection Dogs and Durham University.
It is funded by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).
At this stage staff - and members of their households - from 11 NHS trusts have been selected to take part, including East Cheshire NHS Trust.
And the five that have stepped forward so far are from Macclesfield Hospital.
They provide samples of breath and body odour by wearing a mask for three hours, and nylon socks and a t-shirt for twelve hours, as well as taking a swab test to identify if they are infected with Covid19.
Dr John Hunter, medical director at East Cheshire NHS Trust said: “We’re delighted that we’ve been given the opportunity to help determine whether bio detection dogs can play a role in the fight against COVID-19.
”Accuracy is essential so this trial will tell us whether these dogs can reliably detect the virus and help us prevent its spread.”
The research team aims to recruit at least 3,500 staff members to provide samples. The target is to collecting 1,000 samples – 325 positive and 675 negative – in order to confidently ascertain if these dogs can accurately detect the disease.
Dogs have previously shown they can sniff out malaria in humans.
Project lead Professor James Logan, from the
LSHTM, said: “A huge thank you to NHS staff and their families who are supporting this vital research.
“If successful, this trial could revolutionise how we diagnose the virus, leading to the rapid screening of high numbers of people, even if asymptomatic, helping return our lives back to some sort of normality.”
Any other staff wishing to take part can email ecntr. integratedresearch@ nhs.net.