Army scientists and academia are working together to determine if military dogs could be trained to detect Covid-19. The research is being conducted jointly by the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center and the University of Pennsylvania. The scientists are trying to determine if dogs can detect the virus’ scent in human sweat.
“We’re harnessing that scent-detection capability and figuring out how far we can take their limits of detection,” said Jenna Gadberry, one of the center’s research scientists. “So far, the levels that they have been able to detect have been astounding.”
During the first research phase, which was completed last fall, the team collected saliva and human specimens that tested both positive and negative for Covid-19. Then, volunteers wore t-shirts overnight and then sent them to scientists at Penn to use as training aids. The researchers are analyzing the data from the t-shirts and will try to train a team of eight dogs to detect volatile organic compounds in the sweat to determine if the virus is present.
If successful, the dogs could be used to detect the virus in large settings such as ships and training environments, or during deployments in remote areas.