Gert van der Hoek
In Memoriam - Editor, Senior Moderator
Netherlands, Amsterdam
Dog detects CD bacteria
Cliff is helping the VU medical center in the fight against the bacterium Clostridium difficile, which can cause
severe diarrhea . The bacterium is contagious and patients must also be isolated immediately.
It is therefore very important that the bacteria is recognized quickly.
The two year old beagle Cliff will take on this important task.
The idea of training a trackingdog comes from Yvo Smolders, professor of internal medicine.
"we were wondering whether a patient had Clostridium and a nurse noted that she could smell it" .
''If people can smell it, then dogs can do that much better", the doctor thought.
Sniff
Cliff has been a few times on the internal medicine department of the VUmc sniffing patients. Hitherto
he knew to detect 90 percent of infected patients . In two cases, he hit on while
the laboratory test was negative. But who knows,''the dog could be right, because the laboratory test is not
100 percent reliable,'' said Marije Bomers the internist who has trained with Cliff.
The intention is that Cliff is not only working in the VUmc. Other care institutions
may eventually use Cliffs services. "Cliff is faster than a laboratory," says
Bomers internist. "The laboratory test does not last long, but in practice it often takes one day
untill you know it. If the result is questionable, then you need another three days in the breeding
stove before you know whether someone is infected. Cliff detects the bacterium in one sniff. "
machinetranslated from NOS.nl
Dog detects CD bacteria
Cliff is helping the VU medical center in the fight against the bacterium Clostridium difficile, which can cause
severe diarrhea . The bacterium is contagious and patients must also be isolated immediately.
It is therefore very important that the bacteria is recognized quickly.
The two year old beagle Cliff will take on this important task.
The idea of training a trackingdog comes from Yvo Smolders, professor of internal medicine.
"we were wondering whether a patient had Clostridium and a nurse noted that she could smell it" .
''If people can smell it, then dogs can do that much better", the doctor thought.
Sniff
Cliff has been a few times on the internal medicine department of the VUmc sniffing patients. Hitherto
he knew to detect 90 percent of infected patients . In two cases, he hit on while
the laboratory test was negative. But who knows,''the dog could be right, because the laboratory test is not
100 percent reliable,'' said Marije Bomers the internist who has trained with Cliff.
The intention is that Cliff is not only working in the VUmc. Other care institutions
may eventually use Cliffs services. "Cliff is faster than a laboratory," says
Bomers internist. "The laboratory test does not last long, but in practice it often takes one day
untill you know it. If the result is questionable, then you need another three days in the breeding
stove before you know whether someone is infected. Cliff detects the bacterium in one sniff. "
machinetranslated from NOS.nl
