NEW YORK – A new study finds that some people are real “mosquito magnets” and it probably has to do with their body odor.
People most attractive to mosquitoes produce many chemicals on their skin that affect their smell.
Bad news for these folks: Bloodsuckers are loyal to their favorites.
THE BLOOD SUCKERS ARE FAITHFUL TO THEIR FAVORITES
“If you have high levels of this substance on your skin, you will be the target of all the bites on the field trip,” said study author Leslie Vosshall, a neurobiologist at Rockefeller University in New York.
There are many myths about who gets hit the most, but many theories aren’t backed up by evidence, Vosshall said.
To test the attraction, the researchers designed an experiment in which people’s body odors compete with each other, explained author María Elena de Obadía. The study appeared Tuesday in the scientific journal Cell.
They asked 64 university volunteers to wrap nylons around their forearms until they were soaked in their scents.
They placed the soaked socks along a tube and then released a large number of mosquitoes.
“They swarmed to the most attractive,” de Obadía said. “It came to light very quickly.”
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Scientists organized an Italian-style competition and the difference was noticeable: the largest magnet was 100 times more attractive than the last.
The species used was Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that transmits diseases such as yellow fever, Zika and dengue.
Vosshall said that a similar result would be expected with other species, but that more research is needed to confirm it.
Traders bleached sidewalks, installed trapping devices, and even bought carnivorous plants to eat.
By testing the same people for several years, the study showed large differences persist, said Matt DeGennaro, a neurogeneticist at Florida International University, who was not involved in the work.
The researchers found a common factor in the favorites: the mosquito magnets had high levels of certain acids on their skin.
These “fat molecules” are part of the skin’s normal moisturizing layer, and each individual produces them in different amounts, Vosshall said. The healthy bacteria that live on the skin feed on these acids and produce some of our smell, she added.
