Is diagnostic performance of SARS-CoV-2 detection dogs reduced -due to virus variation- over the time?

Medical detection dogs have a high potential for use as alternative diagnostic tools not only for organic diseases, but also for infectious diseases. However, new variants emerging over time may affect the accuracy and sensitivity of diagnostic methods including medical detection dogs in case of viral pandemics. To the best of our knowledge, this is a pioneer study aimed to investigate diagnostic performances and generalization ability of SARS-CoV-2 detection dogs against the new variant after being trained with the original virus. Two SARS-CoV-2 detection dogs were used in this study. In total, 1002 samples including the Omicron variant were introduced to the dogs using a double-blinded design. Two different refresher training sessions were conducted to train the dogs to identify the scent of the Omicron variant. In the first refreshment training, mixed samples (original virus and Omicron variant) were used. The diagnostic performances of the dogs were significantly increased only after the second refreshment training where only the Omicron variant was introduced. This study illustrates that diagnostic performances of SARS-CoV-2 detection dogs were not consistent over time with the emerging new variants. Thus, refreshment training with new variant(s) should be conducted with every new variant which may affect the diagnostic performances of those dogs in such infectious outbreaks.

Evaluating undesired scratching in domestic cats: a multifactorial approach to understand risk factors.

Introduction: Despite being a natural feline behavior, scratching can become undesirable from a human perspective when directed at household items. This complex behavior can stem from various motivations, ranging from individual cat characteristics to environmental factors. This study investigates the factors influencing the increased level of undesirable scratching behavior in domestic cats, considering both cat-related and environmental aspects. Methods: Data from 1,211 cats were collected for this study. An online questionnaire comprising three sections was utilized. The first section gathered caregiver demographics, while the subsequent section examined aspects of cats' daily routines, social interactions, environments, behaviours, and temperaments. The final section assessed the frequency and intensity of undesirable scratching behavior in cats. Scratching behavior was evaluated based on a combined scratching index. Results: The study suggests that the presence of a child may be associated with scratching episodes in the home environment. Additionally, factors such as play duration, playfulness, and nocturnal activity were identified as significant contributors to heightened scratching levels (p ≤ 0.05). Aggressiveness and disruptiveness also played significant roles in increased scratching behavior (p ≤ 0.05). The location of scratching posts emerged as a significant factor, with posts placed in areas frequented by the cat being more effective in redirecting scratching behavior (p ≤ 0.05). Discussion: This study reveals several significant associations between cat characteristics, nocturnal activity and play, as well as the environment. It underscores the multifaceted nature of undesirable scratching behavior and emphasizes the importance of comprehensively understanding both the individual characteristics of the cat and its environment to effectively address this behavior.

Behavioural responses to separation from human companion in the domestic cat: A survey-based study.

The domestic cat is known to react to social separation, though the conceptual relationship between separation-related behaviours outside of a clinical context has not been described in detail. We did an online survey on participants who had cats in their households (Nparticipants=114; Ncats=133) and asked them to evaluate the frequency of 12 behavioural elements associated with social separation from human companions on a 5- point Likert Scale. We performed two dimensionality reduction techniques (component and factor analyses) to assess whether the specified behaviours related to social separation belonged to the same axis. We found four distinct dimensions instead of one: (a) reactivity towards companion departure cues, (b) protest behaviour towards inaccessibility, (c) unusual elimination behaviour, and (d) negative responses following social separation. Our findings suggest a manifestation of different motivational states rather than a single, separation-related construct. Future studies would benefit from a careful evaluation of the separation-related behaviours in a multi-measure context to improve the accuracy of ethological classifications.

Development of a safety protocol for training and using SARS-CoV-2 detection dogs: A pilot study.

Medical detection dogs have potential to be used to screen asymptomatic patients in crowded areas at risk of epidemics such as the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. However, the fact that SARS-CoV-2 detection dogs are in direct contact with infected people or materials raises important concerns due to the zoonotic potential of the virus. No study has yet recommended a safety protocol to ensure the health of SARS- CoV-2 detection dogs during training and working in public areas. This study sought to identify suitable decontamination methods to obtain nonpathogenic face mask samples while working with SARS-CoV-2 detection dogs and to investigate whether dogs were able to adapt themselves to other decontamination procedures once they were trained for a specific odor. The present study was designed as a four-phase study: (a) Method development, (b) Testing of decon- tamination methods, (c) Testing of training methodology, and (d) Real life scenario. Surgical face masks were used as scent samples. In total, 3 dogs were trained. The practical use of 3 different decontam- ination procedures (storage, heating, and UV-C light) while training SARS-CoV-2 detection dogs were tested. The dog trained for the task alerted to the samples inactivated by the storage method with a sensitivity of100 % and specificity of 98.28 %. In the last phase of this study, one dog of 2 dogs trained, alerted to the samples inactivated by the UV-C light with a sensitivity of 91.30% and specificity of 97.16% while the other dog detected the sample with a sensitivity of 96.00% and specificity of 97.65 %.