According to a recent study, certain people actually are "mosquito magnets," and this is most likely due to their odor.
The researchers discovered that those that are most appealing to mosquitoes produce a lot of particular skin-bound molecules linked to smell. Additionally, the bloodsuckers stick with their favorites over time, which is bad news for mosquito magnets.
Leslie Vosshall, a neurobiologist at Rockefeller University in New York and research author, said, "If you have high amounts of this substance on your skin, you're going to be the one at the picnic getting all the bites."
There is a lot of legend about who gets bitten more, but according to Vosshall, many of the assertions aren't supported by substantial evidence.
According to study author Maria Elena De Obaldia, the researchers devised an experiment that pitted people's odors against one another in order to evaluate mosquito magnetism. The journal Cell published their findings.
64 volunteers from the university and the neighborhood were instructed to wear nylon stockings around their forearms so the researchers could smell their skin. Numerous mosquitoes were released after placing the stockings in various traps at the end of a long tube.
They would essentially flock to the most alluring subjects, according to De Obaldia. "It immediately became quite clear."
In a round-robin competition, scientists discovered a startling disparity: the largest mosquito magnet was around 100 times more alluring to mosquitoes than the loser.
The Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits diseases like dengue, Zika, and yellow fever, was employed in the experiment. Vosshall predicted similar outcomes from other types but added that further study would be necessary to confirm.
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 who was not involved in the study.
DeGennaro observed that "mosquito magnets seem to stay mosquito magnets."
Mosquito magnets had elevated levels of certain acids on their skin, which the researchers discovered to be a common characteristic among the favorites. People create these "sticky molecules" in varying proportions, and they are a component of the skin's natural moisturizing layer, according to Vosshall. According to her, the good bacteria on our skin consume these acids and contribute to the aroma of our skin.
According to Vosshall, who is employed by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and serves as its chief scientific officer, eliminating these acids would also harm the health of your skin. The institute additionally aids the Health and Science Division of The Associated Press.
However, according to Jeff Riffell, a neurobiologist at the University of Washington who was not involved in the study, the discovery might contribute to the development of novel mosquito deterrents. He speculated that there might be a technique to manipulate skin microorganisms and alter humans' alluring odors.
Nevertheless, Riffell said that it can be challenging to come up with mosquito repellent strategies because the insects have transformed into "lean, mean biting machines."
This was demonstrated by the study, which also used mosquitoes whose DNA had been altered to impair their sense of smell. The same mosquito magnets still attracted a lot of insects.
Mosquitoes are tough, according to Vosshall. They have a variety of backup plans to track us down and pounce on us.
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