Are you a mosquito magnet? The Science Behind Why You May Be Bitten More Often Than Others

Some people supposedly feel “mosquito magnets” because they seem to have more than their fair share of bites.

There are many popular theories as to why someone might be a favorite snack, including blood type, blood sugar level, or just being female or childish. Yet there is little credible data to support most of these theories.

However, there are specific, science-backed factors that may explain why some people might be more susceptible to getting bitten.

Mosquitoes are one of the few insects to evolve with a taste for human blood, which makes for an incredibly protein-rich meal.

“When they bite, it’s uncomfortable because there’s irritation associated with the mosquito bite. It’s actually injecting saliva into your body,” said Michael Roe, Ph.D., professor of entomology at North Carolina State University.

Each year, mosquitoes infect approximately 400 million humans with the dengue virus. And in addition to dengue, they transmit viruses like yellow fever, Zika virus and chikungunya.

In addition to tracking our carbon dioxide exhalations, body heat and odors, scientists say some people are more attractive to mosquitoes than others because they have higher levels of carboxylic acids on their skin. . The acid is produced by sebum, an oily layer that covers a person’s skin.

Roe and his colleagues are working on a mosquito repellent cloth to keep these people, and others, from getting infected with the pesky insects.

“We have an incredible scientist on our team (who is) a mathematician. He can define all of these parameters mathematically, combining them to describe what a mosquito-biting cloth should look like,” he said.

Scientists at Rockefeller University believe the solution may be to manipulate our skin microbiomes.

What’s unclear is whether mosquitoes use these compounds exclusively to seek out humans or whether a combination of odors could make a particular individual a “better meal.”

A team of researchers led by Dr. Anandasankar Ray of UC Riverside set out to determine the relationship between the receptors necessary for the attraction of skin odors.

For example, ethyl pyruvate, which has a fruity smell and is approved as a flavoring agent in food, blocked the attraction of mosquitoes to a human hand. But cyclopentanone, which smells like mint and is approved as a flavoring and scenting agent, attracted mosquitoes to a baited trap as effectively as carbon dioxide.

“These potentially affordable ‘mask’ and ‘sweater’ strategies could be used in complementary ways, providing an ideal solution and much-needed relief to people in Africa, Asia and South America – wherever transmitted diseases by mosquitoes are rampant,” Ray said.

Understanding the chemicals behind attracting mosquitoes could one day lead to a topical cream.

Until then, the CDC and EPA say bug sprays containing DEET are the gold standard, but other products containing picaridin and lemon eucalyptus oil have also been popular. to repel mosquitoes.