University flavour expert joins global team investigating COVID-19 symptoms
06 May 2020
UPDATE: Anosmia added to official list of symptoms - expert comment
COVID-19 patients who have experienced loss of smell are being asked to help with an international study to understand symptoms of the disease.
Dr Jane K. Parker from the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Reading has joined a global team of experts exploring a potential link between loss of taste and smell with COVID-19.
The Global Consortium of Chemosensory Researchers (GCCR) was set up in response to anecdotal reports of the loss of smell and taste in people who have tested positive for COVID-19. Dr Parker, who is a member of the GCCR UK scientific board, joins more than 500 clinicians, neurobiologists, data scientists, cognitive scientists, sensory researchers and technicians from 40 countries involved in the initiative.
The main aim of the GCCR is to better understand the relationship between respiratory illnesses (e.g. COVID-19, influenza or the common cold) and their effects on smell and taste. It is conducting a world-wide survey for those who have recently suffered with COVID-19, or another respiratory disease, or anyone who has recently experienced loss of smell.
The survey, which will take around ten minutes to complete, is available in more than 24 languages.
Click here to fill in the survey.
Dr Jane Parker, an Associate Professor of Flavour Chemistry at the University of Reading said:
“There is accumulating evidence that loss of smell and taste is associated with Covid-19, much of which is anecdotal or comes from small studies. The GCCR has launched an international questionnaire in 24 languages which looks specifically at understanding and distinguishing between the loss of smell, the loss of taste (specifically sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami) and chemesthesis which is the sensation we get from hot spices, cooling mints and peeling onions.”
“We are actively calling for anyone who has either had COVID-19 or a sudden loss of smell or taste to fill in the GCCR survey. The more we understand the symptoms of Covid-19, the more we can help to control further spread of the disease.”
- Dr Jane Parker explains six curious facts about smell in an article published in The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/six-curious-facts-about-smell-128533