Ever notice how mosquitoes seem to close in on you while ignoring everyone else?
Scientists are now beginning to unravel why certain people are more “irresistible” to these disease-carrying pests.
“It’s not a misconception mosquitoes are attracted to some people more than others,” said Frederic Simard.
A medical entomologist at France’s Institute of Research for Development. “But we are not all magnets of mosquito’s all the time.”
Smell, Heat, and Carbon-dioxide:
Female mosquitoes the only ones that bite detect humans through a combination of the carbon dioxide we exhale, body heat, humidity, and the scent of our skin.
“We’ve known for over 100 years that carbon dioxide triggers their behavior from meters away,” explained Swedish scientist Rickard Ignell.
Up close, the combination of body odor, heat, and moisture makes certain people particularly appealing.
Blood type doesn’t matter:
Despite popular myths, mosquitoes do not prefer certain blood types, skin colors, or hair.
Humans release hundreds of different odorous compounds, but researchers are only now identifying the ones mosquitoes find most attractive.
In a lab study, Ignell’s team exposed “Aedes aegypti” mosquito’s carriers of dengue and yellow fever to 42 women.
“Our research revealed that mosquitoes are attracted to a specific mix of scent compounds out of roughly 1,000 possible odors, Ignell explained.
Women most frequently bitten produced higher levels of a compound during pregnancy.
During their second trimester called 1-octen-3-ol, nicknamed “mushroom alcohol,” created from the breakdown of skin oil.
Even small increases of this chemical made a big difference in mosquito attraction.
Beer and Mosquitoes:
Drinking beer can also make you more appealing to mosquitoes.
Studies in Burkina Faso and the Netherlands found that volunteers who consumed beer were more likely to be bitten, likely due to increased body temperature, more exhaled carbon dioxide, and changes in skin odor.
In one Dutch study, beer drinkers were 1.35 times more attractive to mosquitoes.
Growing concern:
With climate change, mosquitoes are expanding into new regions, bringing diseases like chikungunya ,yellow fever etc.
Tips to avoid bites:
Experts advise wearing loose, covering clothing, using mosquito nets, and applying repellents.
Finally, some people naturally attract mosquitoes more than others due to certain scents their bodies produce.
Small differences in these compounds can make someone a mosquito “magnet”.
While knowing this can help in taking extra precautions to avoid bites.
