Breath analysis by ultra-sensitive broadband laser spectroscopy detects SARS-CoV-2 infection
Abstract
Rapid testing is essential to fighting pandemics such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Exhaled human breath contains multiple volatile molecules providing powerful potential for non-invasive diagnosis of diverse medical conditions. We investigated breath detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection using cavity-enhanced direct frequency comb spectroscopy (CE-DFCS), a state-of-the-art laser spectroscopic technique capable of a real-time massive collection of broadband molecular absorption features at ro-vibrational quantum state resolution and at parts-per-trillion volume detection sensitivity. Using a total of 170 individual breath samples (83 positive and 87 negative with SARS-CoV-2 based on reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction tests), we report excellent discrimination capability for SARS-CoV-2 infection with an area under the receiver-operating-characteristics curve of 0.849(4). Our results support the development of CE-DFCS as an alternative, rapid, non-invasive test for COVID-19 and highlight its remarkable potential for optical diagnoses of diverse biological conditions and disease states.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Apr 05, 2023
- Source ID
- 10.1088/1752-7163/acc6e4
Entities
People
- David J. Nesbitt
- Eva S. Nozik
- Jun Ye
- Jutta Toscano
- Kristen K B Barthel
- Leslie Leinwand
- Qizhong Liang
- Roy Parker
- Ya-chu Chan
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- National Institute of Standards and Technology
- National Institutes of Health
- National Science Foundation
- United States Department of Energy