New research: Not blood, this is why mosquitoes choose people to burn

Surprisingly, just over 3,000 species of mosquitoes actually specialize in biting people, the rest of them can take food from a variety of sources. But one big question is why some people are more frequently bitten by mosquitoes than the rest in the same living environment. This is why!

Anopheles gambiae (Aedes aegypti) and Anopheles (Anopheles gambiae) are best known because they suck human blood and are the links of disease transmission in humans. The zebra mosquito (Ae. Aegypti) is associated with zika virus and dengue hemorrhagic fever, while Anopheles mosquito (An. Gambiae) carries malaria-causing parasites.

Not only some species of mosquitoes show a strong 'hobby' with human blood, they are also tired of watching fish ' this person or the other will be the next' meal '. A roommate shared: 'I am personally lucky - I do not get bitten by mosquitoes while the people in the house are always' crazy 'because of dozens of mosquito bites while I have only one or two stains'. So why is it that in the same living environment a person is less likely to be bitten by mosquitoes than the rest? So is there another factor that affects this?

Midges - important agents of zika and dengue fever.

Some people think that blood type, white skin or pale color, sweat and even eating food with garlic or apple vinegar may affect the bite rate in one way or another. There are many reasons and most of them seem to have little effect when tested through scientific experiments. Many research efforts are devoted to understanding the incidence of mosquito bites, hoping to simulate their behavior to control human disease.

All mosquitoes use carbon dioxide as a long-range sensor that shows the host nearby. However, CO₂ is present everywhere, providing little information to help mosquitoes target its favorite. Lactic acid has been shown to be an attractant with CO₂ and much more common in human odors than other animals. Other compounds such as ammonia, some carboxylic acids, acetone and sulcatone also help attract mosquitoes.

Of course, this does not tell us why these roommates often burn more, it only explains why humans become objects of mosquitoes, not birds, cows or lizards. The most obvious evidence for the choice of mosquitoes among different people is the change in our skin microbiota .

Microbiota of human skin

This microbial system is mainly non-pathogenic bacteria and live fungi on our skin and in pores and hair follicles. The combination of odor that they emit in the form of volatile organic compounds is an important factor in how well we know mosquitoes are 'delicious'.

Our skin microorganisms do not easily pass between each person through contact. An estimated 1 million bacteria per square centimeter of skin, usually consisting of hundreds of species. This means that mosquitoes choose among non-random people but rather based on the composition of living microorganisms on our skin.

Due to the variability and diversity of bacteria in the microorganisms of the skin, it is not surprising that the body sensing the smell and the extremely sensitive taste of female mosquitoes (only female mosquitoes sucking blood) can be detected. These differences are easy. We consider female mosquito behavior here only when they burn, and only when they lay eggs.

Bacteria on the skin under a microscope tube.

The composition of skin microorganisms mainly depends on our living environment - what we eat and where we live. Everything we touch, eat, drink, and wash has the ability to produce new bacteria, but there is evidence that a person's genetics can also affect skin microorganisms but to a degree. lower.

Genetic changes are thought to affect how the skin affects the bacteria that live on it. It is possible through the production of genetic control proteins in the skin, acting as barriers and preventing bacteria from forming and developing on the skin, or through normal mechanisms such as tendency to sweat or secretions. oil (oily skin).

Conclude

It is worth remembering, because pure sweat does not have a clear odor, only sweat cannot attract mosquitoes. Instead, the change in the chemical composition of sweat, and the rate of sweating among humans, creates conditions that are beneficial for some bacteria that are able to attract mosquitoes.

Although we are quite certain that mosquitoes choose hosts based on the bacteria that live on the skin, but why do they prefer the smell of bacteria on their skin more than others. If we can understand this secret, we can change the microbial composition of the skin to reduce the proportion of mosquito bites from which can reduce and control human diseases caused by mosquitoes. .