Kill mosquitoes carrying malaria parasites with foot odor

Scientists hope to create traps of bacteria that cause foot odor to kill mosquitoes carrying malaria parasites.

Research to kill mosquitoes with foot odor

According to the BBC, no matter how clean the period is, your feet still smell bad. An average foot contains about 600 sweat glands per square meter - hundreds of times more than the armpit area. They produce a mixture of salt, glucose, vitamins and amino acids, a perfect meal for a whole group of bacteria, most of which Staphylococcus - the agent that produces unpleasant odors.

Staphylococcus bacteria group resides in the human foot, which is an agent that produces unpleasant odors.(Photo: Science Photo Library)

Dutch scientist Bart Knols was one of the first to see some species of mosquitoes carrying malaria parasites attracted by foot odor. This inspired many studies by Renate Smallegange at Wageningen University, the Netherlands.

Smallegange is an extremely knowledgeable person about foot odor . She conducted many researches on body odor such as collecting stinking dirt, asking people to rub their feet on glass beads and wiping the sweaty feet there. More picky, she also wrapped her legs in plastic bags, causing the smell to multiply.

Compared to all other jobs in the world, this is probably the most unpleasant job, but Smallegange has not been deterred by smells like this cheese.

"This is not a big deal," she said. "Of course there will be a person who has a sense of smell more sensitive than the other - that's my personal opinion."

Not everyone feels uncomfortable with the smell. Smallegange is patient with the stench because it involves her research on mosquitoes carrying malaria parasites. She is trying to find a way to create foot odor, to prevent the spread of this deadly disease.

According to the World Health Organization data, there are 584,000 deaths from malaria in 2013, of which 80% are children under 5 years old. Most cases die in sub-Saharan Africa, according to CNBC.

The more smelly feet, the more attracting mosquitoes.(Photo: SPL / James Gathany)

Smallegange found that the parasite seems to have adjusted the mosquito's sense of smell so that it gets more irritated by the foot odor, gathering in places with dirty socks, like bees left in flower beds.

" There is a lot of evidence that somehow, some of the mosquitoes' brain proteins that play the role of olfactory control have been altered," Smallegange said. It was a sophisticated machine that turned the host into a victim, from which it continued its life in the human body. " That's why mosquitoes are a powerful organism that transmits malaria."

Understanding this we will have many ways to fight malaria. Smallegange tries to modify the odor-causing bacteria on the legs to see if we can reduce the likelihood of us being burned. The more hosts the Staphylococcus bacteria carry, the easier it is to burn. In an effort to fight against this bacterium, there are many plans to protect against deadly diseases that have been introduced.

Lure mosquitoes

Scientists seek to use artificial scents as mosquito bait. Knols use Limburger cheese - a kind of smelly food like dirt that goes away for 8 days without washing.

Meanwhile, Smallegange hopes to be able to bottled this odor. She used isovaleric acid and other ingredients to extract a synthetic scent named "eau de pied".

" The scent structure is very important, " she said. " In general, a compound is more attractive than a single substance." Smallegange said it is possible to use many different formulas for each mosquito species, because each species has its own taste.

Scientists are doing a small experiment in Rusinga Island, Kenya. They put bait traps to see if they could kill or reduce mosquitoes to limit the rate of burning or malaria infection. Through testing, they will also identify the favorite breeding area of ​​each mosquito carrying malaria parasites.

Limburger cheese is home to bacteria that cause foot odor.(Photo: Thinkstock)