According to a recent study, certain people are considerably more likely to attract mosquitoes than others. It is likely due to how they smell. The research shows that those most attracted to mosquitoes create a lot of specific kinds of compounds on their skin. It is related to the smell that mosquitoes find appealing.
Who is more likely to get bitten by mosquitoes has been the subject of numerous theories. Though there is not much evidence to back up those claims. Researchers did an experiment in which participants’ odours competed with one another for the research.
Research
64 volunteers were instructed to wear stockings around their forearms so that the aroma from their skin could be absorbed. At the end of a long tube, separate traps were used to hold the stockings, and then many mosquitoes were let go. More mosquitoes visited certain traps than others. The stockings competing against one another were permanently changed when the researchers repeated the experiment multiple times. Finally, they realized there was a significant variation in the stockings. The mosquitoes were attracted to the most appealing stocking almost 100 times more than the least attractive ones.
Matt DeGennaro, a neurogeneticist at Florida International University, found that these significant disparities persist after examining the same individuals for more than a year. Mosquito magnets contain high quantities of acids on their skin, and people also generate them in varying degrees. Scientists found it to be a common factor. According to Jeff Riffell, a neurobiologist at Washington University, the study could contribute to developing novel mosquito repellents. He suggested that there might be ways to alter the skin bacteria and modify the odour that mosquitoes find attractive.
