New research reveals that an individual’s smell may be the reason why they are a mosquito magnet. Read to find out more.
Are you a mosquito magnet?
A new study reveals that some people could be mosquito magnets based on how they smell. In a new study, researchers found that people who produce certain chemicals in their smell may attract more mosquitoes than others. “If you have high levels of this stuff on your skin, you’re going to be the one at the picnic getting all the bites. There’s a lot of folklore about who gets bitten more but many claims aren’t backed up with strong evidence,” stated Leslie Vosshall. Vosshall is the author of the study and a neurobiologist at Rockefeller University in New York.
To put the theory to the test, researchers designed an experiment by pitting people’s scents against each other. They picked up the scents of 64 volunteers by asking them to wear nylon stockings around their forearms. They were then placed in traps and mosquitoes were released into them. “The insects would swarm to the most attractive subjects. It became very obvious right away,” stated Maria Elena De Obaldia.
What does the study reveal?
After holding a round-robin tournament, they ended up with surprising results. The biggest mosquito magnet was 100 times more attractive than the last-place trap. The study used Aedes aegypti, the mosquitoes responsible for spreading diseases like dengue, Zika, and yellow fever. The study revealed that mosquito agents had a higher level of certain acids on the skin that are a part of the natural moisturizing layer on the skin.
“People produce them in different amounts. The healthy bacteria that live on the skin eat up these acids and produce part of our skin’s odor profile” stated a researcher. However, you cannot get rid of the ‘mosquito magnet’ acids present in your skin without harming it.