An international team of scientists, comprising researchers from African, Ethiopian, and Swedish scientific institutions, has discovered that mosquitoes exhibit clear preferences when selecting their human victims. The study, published in the scientific journal Nature, indicates that certain individuals are more susceptible to mosquito bites than others.
Female mosquitoes rely on several key factors when choosing a target: body odor, heat, and the carbon dioxide exhaled by humans. Swedish researcher Rickard Ignell notes that carbon dioxide serves as the primary signal that mosquitoes detect from a considerable distance. This means that a person’s breathing alone already makes them a potential target for a bite. The combination of body odor and carbon dioxide enhances a person’s attractiveness to mosquitoes, which can recognize these signals from up to 10 meters away.
Previously existing theories about mosquito preferences, such as connections to blood type, skin color, eye color, or hair color, have not been scientifically confirmed.
Each individual emits between 300 and 1,000 different aromatic compounds. To identify the specific scents that attract mosquitoes, scientists conducted an experiment using Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, known as carriers of yellow fever and dengue, along with 42 female volunteers. The results showed that mosquitoes can identify 27 out of 1,000 scents, and it is these compounds that influence their choice of target.
Bites were most frequently inflicted on participants who exhibited elevated levels of the compound 1-octen-3-ol. This substance is produced through the breakdown of sebum and is commonly known as “mushroom alcohol.” 1-octen-3-ol is present in all people, but its concentration can vary depending on skin microbiota, hormonal status, and metabolic processes. Elevated levels of this compound are characteristic, for example, of pregnant women.
Additionally, the study revealed that beer consumption attracts mosquitoes. Drinking beer raises body temperature, increases carbon dioxide output, and alters the chemical composition of skin secretions. Volunteers consumed beer and water at intervals of several days, which allowed the experimental results to be confirmed. The scent of beer proved particularly attractive to mosquitoes of the Anopheles genus, known as carriers of malaria.
About the Author
