Khaberni - Scientists are making some progress in decoding the complex chemical mixture that makes some people more attractive to disease-causing mosquitoes.
Frederic Simmar, an expert in medical entomology at the "Development Research Institute" in France, told Agence France-Presse, "It is not a misconception.. Mosquitoes indeed are attracted to some people more than others.. but we are not all attractive (to mosquitoes) all the time."
A set of sensory stimuli can drive mosquitoes to prefer one person over another, especially scent and heat emitted from our bodies, along with the carbon dioxide we exhale.
Female mosquitoes, which are the only ones that bite, detect these signals using their highly precise sensory receptors and choose their targets accordingly.
Swedish scientist, Rickard Ignell, told France Presse "We have known for over a hundred years that mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide we exhale with our breath.. This is the first signal that provokes their behavior."
Ignell, who recently conducted a study on this subject, explained that mosquitoes "begin to detect our scent" from about ten meters away and are further attracted by the carbon dioxide.
As they get closer, the heat of the body and humidity make certain individuals more attractive to mosquitoes.
Blood type has no relation However, some popular theories on this subject have not been proven, and Simmar stated that the idea that mosquitoes prefer certain blood types "has no scientific basis.
He added, "There were some studies but only a very few people participated in them," explaining that mosquito bites are also not related to skin color, eye color, or hair color.
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Scientists are making some progress in decoding the complex chemical mixture that makes some people more attractive to disease-causing mosquitoes.
Frederic Simmar, an expert in medical entomology at the "Development Research Institute" in France, told Agence France-Presse, "It is not a misconception.. Mosquitoes indeed are attracted to some people more than others.. but we are not all attractive (to mosquitoes) all the time."
A set of sensory stimuli can drive mosquitoes to prefer one person over another, especially scent and heat emitted from our bodies, along with the carbon dioxide we exhale.
Female mosquitoes, which are the only ones that bite, detect these signals using their highly precise sensory receptors and choose their targets accordingly.
Swedish scientist, Rickard Ignell, told France Presse "We have known for over a hundred years that mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide we exhale with our breath.. This is the first signal that provokes their behavior."
Ignell, who recently conducted a study on this subject, explained that mosquitoes "begin to detect our scent" from about ten meters away and are further attracted by the carbon dioxide.
As they get closer, the heat of the body and humidity make certain individuals more attractive to mosquitoes.
Mosquito - illustrative
Mosquito - illustrative
Blood type has no relation
However, some popular theories on this subject have not been proven, and Simmar stated that the idea that mosquitoes prefer certain blood types "has no scientific basis.
He added, "There were some studies but only a very few people participated in them," explaining that mosquito bites are also not related to skin color, eye color, or hair color.
What's the connection with scent?
Simmar explained that "a mixture of molecules produced by our body's microbiota is usually more or less attractive to mosquitoes."
Research shows that between 300 and 1000 different scent compounds are emitted by humans, but scientists are still at the beginning of understanding which ones attract mosquitoes.
In Ignell's latest study, researchers released a type of mosquito known as "Aedes aegypti," famous for transmitting yellow fever and dengue fever, onto 42 women in a lab to find out which of them it would prefer.
"We demonstrated that mosquitoes use a mixture of scent-based compounds (we identified 27 of them from 1000) for their attraction to us," he said.
The women who were more preferred by the mosquitoes for biting, including some who were pregnant in their second trimester, secreted larger quantities of a specific compound produced by skin oils.
Ignell confirmed that even a small increase in this compound named "1-octen-3-ol," or mushroom alcohol, was enough to make a difference, which was surprising.
He added, "Mosquitoes are amazing creatures."
Beer increases attractiveness
Consuming beer can also be linked to attracting mosquitoes as it raises the body temperature, increases the amount of carbon dioxide exhaled, and alters the body odor, according to several studies.
In research conducted in Burkina Faso, some volunteers consumed beer and then water after several days to see which they would prefer.
Anopheles mosquito, which transmits malaria, was more attracted to the scent of individuals who consumed beer.
In a study from the year 2023 in the Netherlands, 465 volunteers placed their arms inside cages filled with female Anopheles mosquitoes.
The volunteers who consumed beer in the 24 hours prior were more attractive to mosquitoes by 1.35 times.
Discovering the reason why mosquitoes prefer certain people is becoming more important as climate change expands their range.
For example, the tiger mosquito, a carrier of the Chikungunya virus, is spreading to new areas.
Last year, Chikungunya reached Northeast France in the Alsace region for the first time.
Simmar said, "This risk affects an increasing number of people."
So, what can be done to avoid mosquito bites?
Simmar recommends wearing loose clothing that covers the skin, mosquito nets, and using mosquito repellent products.
He added, "Try to eat light meals and reduce alcohol consumption."
