A breathalyzer was just FDA approved for the detection of organic compounds associated with an active SARS-CoV-2 infection! This is not only a fun new diagnostic method but also provides a test with very non-invasive sample collection.
The breathalyzer was created by InspectIR using a portable (suitcase size) GC-MS technology. What is GC-MS? In a nut shell:
⁃ GC stands for Gas Chromatography and is a method for vaporizing compounds and separating them by volatility (how easily they evaporate) and how they react with the chosen stationary phase of the column.
⁃ MS stands for Mass Spectrometry and is technique that is able to measure the amount of these separated and vaporized compounds and, using the mass and charge information, identify what the compounds are.
The InspectIR COVID-19 Breathalyzer test was tested in a group of nearly 2,500 individuals and had really great specificity (99% of negatives were accurate), and pretty good sensitivity (91% of positives were accurate). This test is meant to be administered by trained professionals in a healthcare setting and only takes 3-5 minutes to get results.
At this time the information about the 5 compounds that are used to identify positive COVID-19 cases are not released but I am interested in knowing more about them! I will update in the future as more details are released (if they are).