There is a company in Britain, named Osmetech that "designs, develops and manufactures electronic gas and odor sensors (electronic noses) for use in the healthcare sector.

Osmetech's multi-sensor array based gas sensing technology screens patient samples and tests for the presence of infection-causing bacteria."

"Osmetech is currently focusing its IP development on sensors that can detect bacteria associated with urinary tract infections (UTIs), bacterial vaginosis (BV) and pneumonia in ICU patients."

"When microorganisms metabolise, they emit volatile components which often have a characteristic smell.

Historically, microbiologists have used the smell from a culture plate to assist in the identification of organisms. It is these volatile metabolites that the Osmetech sensor array technology is designed to detect."