Mosquitoes Attracted to Certain Body Odors and Heat, Research Shows

I attract mosquitoes like a magnet. No matter where I go in the world during summer vacation, one thing is almost certain, mosquitoes will bite me. The bites leave large, itchy welts on my skin that can last for weeks. Meanwhile, the other two people I live with are not significantly affected by mosquitoes; they are rarely bitten, and if they are, it's just a small red mark that quickly disappears. My friends often joke that my blood is 'too sweet,' which is why mosquitoes bite me more. Interestingly, there might be some truth to this. In reality, our bodies emit many types of biological signals, such as our breath and body odor. These signals determine which person mosquitoes are more attracted to. For some people, these signals are so strong that mosquitoes are drawn to them automatically. Let's understand the three main reasons why these blood-sucking mosquitoes find us. They know their prey is nearby Female mosquitoes bite humans. The reason they are attracted to our blood is that they get protein from it, which helps in egg development. Mosquitoes can detect their prey from about 10 meters (33 feet) away using their sight and smell. Carbon dioxide in the environment also plays a role in identifying the target. We expel these particles through our breath and skin. Carbon dioxide in human breath signals to mosquitoes that there is a potential prey nearby. As soon as this signal is received, the mosquito's prey-seeking behavior becomes active, and they start moving towards that person. Mosquitoes bite adults more than children because they expel more carbon dioxide into the air. This is why mosquitoes are not only attracted to humans but also to other sources of carbon dioxide. This is also why 'dry ice' and bottled carbon dioxide are used in mosquito traps. Mosquitoes are also attracted to body heat Research shows that mosquitoes are also drawn to body heat and moisture. The heat and moisture generated by carbon dioxide further enhance this attraction. This is why pregnant women can be bitten by mosquitoes about twice as much as other women. This is because during pregnancy, the body's metabolism and breathing rate increase, causing the body to generate more heat and expel more carbon dioxide. Steve Lindsay, a professor of public health entomology at Durham University in the UK, says, 'Your body works like a small furnace inside, which is why it's very hot.' People who exercise also attract mosquitoes more, especially during or immediately after exercise. This is because during exercise, the body's metabolism speeds up, leading to more carbon dioxide expulsion. Additionally, the body becomes hotter, and more sweat is produced. Similarly, overweight individuals may also attract more mosquitoes because their bodies generally generate more heat and they expel more carbon dioxide. Skin odor determines who mosquitoes bite When mosquitoes get within 10 meters (33 feet) of their target, they identify their prey using various signals, including the smell from the skin and breath. Professor Steve Lindsay says, 'It's all about smell. Who mosquitoes bite depends largely on the person's body odor. Differences in the smell of chemical compounds emitted from the body determine this. Mosquitoes live in a world of chemicals.' Lindsay and his colleagues have debunked the notion that 'mosquitoes bite those with sweet blood more.' According to their research, mosquitoes are actually attracted to the specific and unique odors emitted from each person's skin. Microorganisms on our skin break down substances like carbohydrates, fatty acids, and peptides into volatile organic compounds. These compounds easily spread in the air, and mosquitoes can detect them. Our skin emits more than 500 types of volatile organic compounds. Mosquitoes are already attracted to ammonia and lactic acid on the skin. If carboxylic acid is also present on the skin, their attraction increases. What did the research at Rockefeller University find? Researchers at Rockefeller University in the US studied the skin odor of 64 people. For this, participants were made to wear nylon clothes for six hours so that skin odor could accumulate on the clothes. Then, mosquitoes were given the opportunity to choose among these samples. The results showed that mosquitoes prefer the odor of people whose skin has a higher amount of carboxylic acid. The researchers created a 'mosquito attraction score' for each person. Those with the highest score were found to be 100 times more attractive to mosquitoes than those with the lowest score. Interestingly, this difference remained for many years, even when people's lifestyles changed. Professor Steve Lindsay says, 'Your attractiveness to mosquitoes is largely predetermined.' Bacteria on the skin can also increase attraction The type of microorganisms on the skin also determines how attracted mosquitoes are to a person. Researchers at Wageningen University in the Netherlands found that people to whom malaria-spreading mosquitoes were more attracted had a different bacterial structure on their skin compared to others. They had a higher number of bacteria on their skin, but less diversity of species. One reason for this could be that bacteria on the skin play a significant role in creating specific body odors. In fact, if there were no bacteria on the skin, human sweat would have almost no smell. A study on twins also found that mosquitoes were attracted to identical twins at almost the same level, whereas there was a difference in attraction to fraternal twins. This suggests that the body odor that determines how attracted mosquitoes are to a person may also be genetically influenced, meaning it is related to our genes. The effect of mosquito bites varies in each person Each person's body can react differently to mosquito bites. A large genetic study found that genes related to our body's immune system are deeply connected to how our body reacts to mosquito bites. Interestingly, these same genes are also related to genes associated with allergies in the body. Furthermore, some people are more likely to experience severe swelling and large welts on their skin after being bitten by mosquitoes. This can make them feel like mosquitoes are drawn to them like a magnet. Scientist Ferguson says, 'Some people feel like they are bitten by mosquitoes a lot. While in reality, their body is reacting more to the mosquito bite. On the other hand, some people are often bitten by mosquitoes, but the effect on their body is very minimal.' While some people may be biologically more attractive to mosquitoes than others, no person is completely safe from mosquitoes. Ferguson says, 'Even if you feel like mosquitoes don't bite you, you should still take necessary precautions to protect yourself from them.' (Published on behalf of Collective Newsroom for BBC)