Mosquitos Could Likely Be Attracted to Ones Scent.

Mosquito Attractor

Some people feel as though mosquitoes are specifically aiming their bites at them. It might be due to the fact of how one smells, according to a recent study.

One of the deadliest animals in the world, mosquitoes spread fatal diseases like malaria. This claims the lives of hundreds of thousands of people each year.

However, some people tend to experience mosquito bites more frequently than others. There are several hypotheses as to why that might occur. These hypotheses are blood type, clothing type, or microorganisms on the skin. None have ever been scientifically demonstrated to be the reason.

A study detailed how some people become mosquito magnets due to the production of a chemical linked to smell. It may be a problem they will have to deal with for the rest of their life. The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell on October 18.

Eight individuals were asked to wear nylon stockings over their arms for six hours a day on various days over the three-year trial in order for researchers to detect the aroma of their skin. In a round-robin tournament-style experiment, the stockings were placed at the ends of various long tubes, and Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes — one of the most prevalent carriers of deadly diseases — were unleashed to observe which tubes they would choose.

By the end, scientists had uncovered a startling discovery: Subject 33 was one of the participants and was 100 times more attractive to mosquitoes than the least attractive participant and was four times more attractive than the second-place participant. The mosquitoes were always drawn to Subject 33 whenever the participant’s nylon stocking was placed against another.

Let’s Test!

The researchers recruited an additional 56 participants to the trial to check whether that response was an aberration, but the mosquitoes continued to favor Subject 33.

The ones who were mosquito magnets created carboxylic acids, which are used by bacteria on human skin to produce distinctive body scents, at significantly higher levels than the other participants, according to a study after the so-called tournament.

Leslie Vosshall, a neurobiologist at Rockefeller University in New York and the study’s lead author, said in a statement: “There’s a very, very strong link between having big quantities of these fatty acids on your skin and being a mosquito magnet.”

Vosshall clarified that this wasn’t the intention of the study. It aimed to determine whether a mosquito would become less attracted to humans or be unable to distinguish between subjects.

It was aggravating, she added, “But that’s not what we witnessed.”

So What Now?

The study demonstrated that these significant differences endure. By assessing the same subjects over an extended period of time, according to Matt DeGennaro, a neurogeneticist at Florida International University.

DeGennaro observed that “mosquito magnets seem to stay mosquito magnets.”

Although the researchers could not achieve their objective, their findings may help in the development of insect repellents. According to the researchers, altering a person’s skin microbiome is the only method to modify their smell.

Written By Lance Santoyo

Sources:

Scientific American: Some People Really Are Mosquito Magnets, and They’re Stuck That Way

USA Today: Are you a mosquito magnet? It may be because of your smell, new study suggests

New Atlas: Fatty acids on the skin explain why some people are “mosquito magnets”

Featured Image Courtesy of Erik F. Brandsborg Flickr Page – Creative Commons License

Inset Image Courtesy of Mike Mozart Flickr Page – Creative Commons License