There is no such thing as a person universally attractive to mosquitoes: the insects are guided by unique chemical odors from the skin and the composition of bacteria on the body, infohub.kz reports.
Researchers from the International University of Florida reached these conclusions after conducting an experiment with 119 volunteers. In the study, the scientists tested three dangerous species of insects — carriers of dengue fever, Zika virus, yellow fever and West Nile virus. The results showed that no single person attracted all three species of bloodsuckers at once.
The insects' preferences depended on their time of activity and chemical markers. The daytime mosquito Aedes aegypti landed more often on the skin of men and of those who did not use perfume. The Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus chose people with elevated levels of ketones and natural plant compounds on the skin. The nighttime mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus was guided by the microbiome — the unique community of bacteria and microorganisms on the human body, some of which attracted the insects while others repelled them.
According to the authors of the study, each person's odor is formed by more than 1,000 volatile organic compounds, and bacteria on the skin's surface determine an individual's signaling profile. The new data will help develop targeted repellents that protect against specific dangerous species in particular regions.