Sensor array and gas chromatographic detection of the blood serum volatolomic signature of COVID-19
Yolande Ketchanji Mougang, Lorena Di Zazzo, Marilena Minieri, Rosamaria Capuano, Alexandro Catini, Jacopo M. Legramante, Roberto Paolesse, Sergio Bernardini, Corrado Di Natale
Abstract
Volatolomics is gaining consideration as a viable approach to diagnose several diseases, and it also shows promising results to discriminate COVID-19 patients via breath analysis. This paper extends the study of the relationship between volatile compounds (VOCs) and COVID-19 to blood serum. Blood samples were collected from subjects recruited at the emergency department of a large public hospital. The VOCs were analyzed with a gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GC/MS). GC/MS data show that in more than 100 different VOCs, the pattern of abundances of 17 compounds identifies COVID-19 from non-COVID with an accuracy of 89% (sensitivity 94% and specificity 83%). GC/MS analysis was complemented by an array of gas sensors whose data achieved an accuracy of 89% (sensitivity 94% and specificity 80%).