breath print of COVID-19, according to the study published Oct. 28 in the journal PLOS ONE.
PCR tests vs breathalyzer-type test
“The gold standard for diagnosis of COVID-19 is a PCR test that requires an uncomfortable nasal swab and time in a lab to process the sample and obtain the results,” lead researcher Dr. Matthew Exline, director of critical care at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center says.
“This novel [Breathalyzer-type] technology uses nanosensors to identify and measure specific biomarkers in the breath,” test co-developer Pelagia-Irene Gouma, a professor in Ohio State’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering adds.
“This is the first study to demonstrate the use of a nanosensor [Breathalyzer-type] system to detect a viral infection from exhaled breath prints,” Gouma notes in an Ohio State news release.
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“PCR tests often miss early COVID-19 infections and results can be positive after the infection has resolved,” Exline says in the release.
“However, this noninvasive breath test technology can pick up early COVID-19 infection within 72 hours of the onset of respiratory failure, allowing us to rapidly screen patients in a single step and exclude those without COVID-19 on mechanical ventilation.”
The researchers also plan to assess the use of the technology to detect less severe COVID-19, as well as other infections and diseases.
Low or no-cost COVID-19 tests are available to everyone in the U.S., including the uninsured, at health centers and select pharmacies nationwide. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services can help you find a testing location near you.