NCT04970563

Detection of Asymptomatic SARS-Cov2 Infected Patients by Detection Dogs: "Proof of Concept" Study (CoviDetectionDog)-Covid-19

Completed NA Last updated 14 April 2022

What this trial tests

NA trial testing Body odor samples in Infection by SARS-COV-2 in 160 participants. Completed in 14 January 2022.

Timeline

21 June 2021

Primary endpoint
14 January 2022

14 January 2022

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Hôpital Européen Marseille
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	non randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	none
Primary purpose	other
Enrollment	160
Start date	21 June 2021
Primary completion	14 January 2022
Estimated completion	14 January 2022
Sites	1 location across France

Drugs / interventions tested

• Body odor samples
• Body odor samples

Conditions studied

• Infection by SARS-COV-2 — all drugs for Infection by SARS-COV-2 →
• Healthy Controls — all drugs for Healthy Controls →

Sponsor

Hôpital Européen Marseille

Who can join

18 and older, any sex, with Infection by SARS-COV-2 or Healthy Controls. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

The spread of the new SARS-CoV-2 virus has led to a pandemic. Described for the first time in China at the end of 2019, it causes Covid-19 disease. Its characteristics in terms of contagiousness and lethality have led countries to adapt their screening and care strategies.

Early and accurate identification of people infected with SARs-CoV-2 is an essential measure to confront Covid-19 pandemic. A key aspect of Covid-19 is that diagnostic tests must be able to detect the virus in asymptomatic, pre-symptomatic and symptomatic patients.

Changes in human odor, as symptoms of specific diseases, have been observed. Dogs have already been used to detect breast or lung cancer, diabetes, epilepsy or kidney disease with some success There is currently a growing body of research and previous work, though preliminary, indicating the possibility that dogs identify persons infected with Sars-Cov-2 compared to healthy persons.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether trained detection dogs are able to identify asymptomatic patients infected by Sars-Cov-2.

The investigators aim to validate the possibility to identify / discriminate patients with Covid-19 according to their odor by a proof of concept (with specificity and sensitivity of the detection test), i.e. new non-invasive screening method using dogs odor detection capabilities.

Publications & conference data

1 peer-reviewed publication reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. Dogs' Detection of Symptomatic and Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 by Non-Working Dogs: Feasibility and Limits Under Controlled Laboratory Conditions.
   Cattet J, Retornaz F, Munier F, Collignon C, et al · · 2026 · PMID 41681461 · DOI 10.3390/ani16030480