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Matthias Matze Erbe has superpowers that many Munich residents would wish for when walking along the Isar. While the mosquito bites are itching, Erbe apparently has no problem with them. © Götzfried
Stinging pests are tormenting Bavarians while they are swimming and barbecuing. Due to the floods, there are many more mosquitoes this year than usual. Autan, Anti-Brumm & Co. are sold out in many places. Only one person can handle the bites like nothing: Matze Erbe from Munich says he is immune.
Matze Erbe spent the hottest day of the year, last Saturday, at Lake Langwieder in Munich. One scene on the lawn has stuck in his mind. “All of a sudden, everyone packed up their things and left,” says the 39-year-old. “I thought everyone was fleeing because a storm was coming.” There was no sign of thunder and lightning, but there was another plague. “The mosquitoes really start to come at 7 p.m.,” warned another bather, covering himself in a cloud of Autan. But Matze Erbe stayed lying there, without any prophylaxis.
Mosquitoes have no effect on this Munich resident – is it a superpower?
This is where Erde’s superpower lies. “The mosquito comes, stings, sucks the blood and flies away,” he explains. “And I don’t feel anything. There is no swelling, no redness, nothing.” Even the bite site disappears immediately. Erbe has had this strange immunity for as long as he can remember. It is an attraction for his five children, aged between seven and 18. “It is interesting for children to see how the mosquito itself turns red when it is full of blood,” explains Erbe, who never chases the animals away and just lets them do as they please.
“The mosquito comes, bites, sucks the blood and flies away. And I don’t feel anything. There is no swelling, no redness, nothing.”
How is that possible? Munich dermatologist Christoph Liebich does not want to be tempted to make a diagnosis from a distance. “You would have to look at it individually. But in principle, you can say that the perception of pain depends on the type.” How much the itching – a type of pain – bothers us is also a matter of the mind. “During periods of rest, for example when we lie down in bed in the evening to go to sleep, a sting suddenly starts to itch. The threshold of perception is then greatly reduced compared to the hectic pace of the day.”
Normally annoying: a mosquito. © dpa
The psyche can be trained. Autogenic training, a mantra – things like that can block out annoying itching. “If you can’t ignore it, you should cool it down or use heat,” advises Liebich. For example, with the new heat pens. They have a small metal surface that heats up to over 50 degrees Celsius at the push of a button and is pressed onto the bite site for several seconds. “The mosquito’s saliva contains blood-thinning proteins that ensure that the blood does not clot when it is sucked out,” says Liebich. “The heat destroys its structure.” After that, the itching should stop.
Mosquito summer: Doctors recommend protective sprays and heat pens
Don’t scratch, advises Dr. Elisabeth Zott-Schuhmachers, a specialist in dermatology and aesthetic medicine in Munich. The bacteria on our fingers can lead to inflammation. She currently treats patients every day, especially children whose bites have become badly infected. Or people who are allergic to mosquito spit. “If you know this from yourself, you should protect yourself with mosquito repellent sprays this summer.”
Elisabeth Zott-Schuhmachers, dermatologist from Munich. © Private
After all, it’s not your fault if mosquitoes find you “nice to bite.” “There are different explanations for this,” says Zott-Schumachers. “Mosquitoes are attracted by the carbon dioxide that we exhale. The individual composition of our sweat makes us more or less attractive to be bitten. The temperature of our body also plays a role. Bites often occur where the skin is thinnest.” For example, on the wrists or ankles.
“I don’t think it’s a super gene, but rather that I have an exceptional immune system.”
Matze Erbe from Munich is also suffering from this year’s mosquito summer, which was caused by the floods in the spring. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t get any mosquito repellent spray for my children anymore, it’s sold out everywhere,” he says. So he hasn’t passed on his superpower to them. “I don’t think it’s a super gene either, but that I have an extraordinary immune system.” It hasn’t been tested yet. “But I would be willing to do it for research purposes,” he says and laughs. (sco)
