Have you ever wondered why mosquitoes seem to prefer to bite some people while sparing others? A study conducted by Johns Hopkins University in the United States attempted to determine whether this was actually true.
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Scientists set up an arena the size of nearly two tennis courts with around 200 mosquitoes outdoors in Zambia and channeled the odors of six people for analysis.
These people slept in tents near the arena and the aromas were directed to plates heated to body temperature.
At close range, mosquitoes use visual cues and body heat to reach their prey. They are widely believed to detect carbon dioxide and other substances in breath and body odors.
The study found that mosquitoes are attracted to specific chemicals found on human skin.
The insects preferred oily secretions that moisturize the skin and protect it from microbes, and chemical compounds called carboxylic acids are a powerful attractant, research shows. Some carboxylic acids are also found in smelly cheeses like Limburger.
A person’s odor, low in carboxylic acids and high in eucalyptol, a substance found in many plants, seemed unpleasant to mosquitoes, raising the possibility that diet could play a role.
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