Researchers found that Parkinson’s patients produce a distinct sebum scent, which trained dogs can identify.
Two specially trained dogs have demonstrated the ability to detect Parkinson’s disease by sniffing skin swabs, achieving 70–80% sensitivity and up to 98% specificity.
The study, led by Nicola Rooney of the University of Bristol, used 205 skin samples and involved double-blind trials with 100 new samples.
Researchers found that Parkinson’s patients produce a distinct sebum scent, which trained dogs can identify. Only two dogs from an initial pool of ten completed the intensive 38–53-week training. A Golden Retriever and a Labrador-Golden Retriever mix consistently detected Parkinson’s in drug-naive patients, outperforming some lab tests and imaging procedures.
Impressive results in blind trials
During testing, Dog 1 identified 28 of 40 Parkinson’s cases (70%) and ruled out 90% of controls. Dog 2 performed better, with 80% sensitivity and 98% specificity. “These dogs performed significantly better than chance,” researchers noted.
What’s next?
The findings suggest scent-based diagnosis could aid early Parkinson’s detection, especially in underserved areas. Scientists hope to develop electronic devices that replicate the dogs’ scent detection. However, training dogs remains resource-intensive, and researchers still need to determine what makes certain samples easier to detect.
The study was funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation and Parkinson’s UK.