Tracking the next pandemic: Avian Flu Talk |
Bees trained for coronachecks |
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Dutch Josh
Adviser Group Joined: May 01 2013 Location: Arnhem-Netherla Status: Online Points: 95767 |
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Posted: May 03 2021 at 1:00pm |
[url]https://www.wur.nl/en/news-wur/Show/Training-bees-to-smell-the-coronavirus.htm[/url] or https://www.wur.nl/en/news-wur/Show/Training-bees-to-smell-the-coronavirus.htm ; The bees were trained to detect SARS-CoV-2 infected samples in a Pavlovian conditioning method. Each time the bees were exposed to the scent from an infected sample, they received a sugar water solution reward. The bees extended their tongues to collect the sugar water solution. By repeating this action several times, the bees associated the sugar reward with the scent as the stimulus. With this repeated conditioning, soon enough bees started extending their tongues out for the scent alone, with no reward offered as a follow-up. A trained bee can detect an infected sample within a few seconds. This research was conducted with more than 150 bees at the Biosafety laboratory of Wageningen Bioveterinary Research with different training setups to determine the most optimum training protocol. The samples used in the first experiments were collected from healthy and SARS-CoV-2 infected minks. In the experiments with the mink-samples, several bees indicated very good results and were able to distinguish the infected samples and those from healthy animals with very low numbers of false positives and false negatives. Similar great results were also achieved in later experiments with human samples as well. |
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We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
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EdwinSm,
Moderator Joined: April 03 2013 Status: Offline Points: 24065 |
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I am not sure I would like that as a testing method....What if I get stung? If I remember correctly, Finland employed dogs for this at an airport, but it was discontinued as the cost (mostly the wages of the handler) was too high compared with other testing methods. |
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Dutch Josh
Adviser Group Joined: May 01 2013 Location: Arnhem-Netherla Status: Online Points: 95767 |
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The bees test (blood)samples not humans...pity they stopped dogs looking for Covid in Finland. Dogs may be usefull for large scale detection...still on its way I guess... |
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We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
~Albert Einstein |
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CRS, DrPH
Expert Level Adviser Joined: January 20 2014 Location: Arizona Status: Offline Points: 26660 |
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We have "Africanized" honeybees in Arizona that sometimes swarm and sting humans to death. https://www.tucsonlocalmedia.com/news/article_7157dadc-e1a7-11ea-a6f5-efb1b5c9bc01.html Otherwise, I'm all for it! Interesting bit of insect psychology. |
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CRS, DrPH
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