The device detects the presence of chemical compounds associated with the infection. In studies the sensitivity (positive samples identified) reached 91%
A test that detects the presence of Sars-CoV-2 simply by breathing. InspectIR Covid-19, similar to a breathalyser, has been authorized in emergency by the American Food and Drug Administration (Fda): sensitive to some chemical compounds associated with the infection. It can be performed, as well as in hospitals and health facilities, also in different places (for example airports) thanks to a mobile device the size of hand luggage (thanks to a miniature mass spectrometer). The examination must be performed by a qualified person and under the supervision of a healthcare professional. The result arrives in less than three minutes and a single machine can analyze approximately 160 samples per day.
High sensitivity
The validity of InspectIR Covid-19 was demonstrated in a study involving 2,400 people, with and without symptoms of infection. Result: the test reached 91% sensitivity (percentage of Sars-CoV-2 positive samples that the test correctly identified) and 99% specificity (percentage of negative samples correctly identified). Also the high negative predictive value (99.6%): it means that people who test negative are really negative in most cases, even in areas of low prevalence of the disease. Similar efficacy data emerged from a clinical study focusing on the Omicron variant.
The technique
InspectIR Covid-19 uses gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to detect five volatile organic compounds (volatile organic compounds, VOCs) associated with Sars-CoV-2 infection in the breath, which are part of the families of particular substances, ketones and aldehydes. When the device sees these markers it gives an assumed positive result, which must then be confirmed with a molecular test. On the other hand, the FDA explains, even negative results must be considered in the context of the patient’s recent contacts and the presence of symptoms attributable to Covid, as they do not 100% exclude infection.
Previous
The idea of identifying Sars-CoV-2 positives through breath (thus avoiding oral-nasopharyngeal swabs and salivaries, the latter with lower reliability) is not new. In October, the Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry of the National Research Council (Cnr-Icb) presented in a study a device capable of analyzing samples of exhaled condensate. Also in this case the diagnostic capacity was good, with a sensitivity of 92%, specificity of 99% and waiting for the report of 6 minutes. According to Cnr experts this technique (Inflammacheck) offers several advantages, from low risk of viral spread or environmental contaminationto the minimum training of personnel.
Analyze the breath
For years, the scientific community has been wondering about the possibility of recognizing the presence of certain diseases with a simple breath test: liver and kidney disorders, asthma, diabetes, tuberculosis, gastrointestinal infections, up to tumors. Breath tests are painless, give fast results, and are less expensive than blood tests. At the base there is a large study of cataloging the molecules present in the exhaled air, with the aim of determining which concentrations are normal and which indicate health problems. In addition to oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide, our breath contains volatile organic compounds and non-volatile compounds, that is microscopic drops of antibodies, peptides, proteins and DNA that can give additional information. Breath to be influenced by a number of confounding factors (food, medications, teeth cleaning), which can interfere with the analysis.
April 15, 2022 (change April 15, 2022 | 14:00)
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