Peanut butter is a staple in most pantries. It's a key ingredient to many snacks and goes great with other food items such as chocolate and bananas. But that's not all the perks of PB, a recent study revealed the creamy spread helps identify asymptomatic COVID-19 carriers. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added several new symptoms for COVID-19. The new conditions include chills, muscle pain, headache, and a loss of taste and smell. 

Dana Smalls, a neurologist who teaches at Yale University, said a simple test using ingredients commonly found at home could lead to early detection. The new finding could help identify carriers who show no coronavirus-like symptoms. 

Early detection can help stop the spread of the pandemic, which has now infected more than 1,010,507 cases and 56,803 fatalities in the United States---of which 2,074 were recorded on Friday.

Breaking the Chain

Dana's research stemmed from a conversation she had with two friends---one a Canadian adjunct professor in psychiatry and the other a sensory psychology expert---where they talked about reports stating the loss of smell and taste in COVID-19 patients. 

The following day, she read about people in England who tested positive after seeing an Ear, Nose, and Throat expert due to a loss of smell. 

Typical symptoms resemble that of the flu, including fever, fatigue, cough, and difficulty breathing. Others reportedly experienced abdominal pain and nausea. Given the rapid spread of the virus, early detection in asymptomatic patients can turn the tide.

Small believes a smell test could help health officials and local authorities to flag and prioritize who receives coronavirus test kits or have the option to self-isolate. 

An asymptomatic person can unknowingly transmit the virus to other people. The virus can be passed through bodily fluids expelled by coughing or sneezing. 

"The real key to stopping the spread of the disease is to identify those people," Small said. 

Readily Available Test Kits

The smell test only requires items that are readily available in most homes. Peanut or nut butter, jam, and jelly are some of the options. Peanut butter is also used to detect the loss of smell in patients who have Alzheimer's. 

These items help stimulate olfactory senses without irritating or tickling the nasal passage. If the scent of peanut butter fade but the smell of vinegar or rubbing alcohol continues to trigger nasal passages, it's a sign someone is experiencing the loss of smell. 

The at-home olfactory test can be done through a website. There is a brief survey of four questions asking respondents to rate how they detect the scents as well as the intensity of the peanut butter and the vinegar. 

Answers will be collected to form a database of information that could change the course of the virus. The site is expected to be up and running within a few weeks. 

The at-home test will be available to the general public as well as medical staff who are at high risk for infection. The research, which is backed by Yale University, will cost more than $450,000. 

"So far, we don't have anything in the bank," Small said. "Yale is talking to a number of people for small donations to get us started."

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