Are you a mosquito magnet? Find out why
Mosquitoes are more drawn to people whose skin produces large levels of carboxylic acids, which each person’s individual fragrance profile is made up of.
Hyderabad: Every time you visit a park, are you attacked by mosquitoes more than by people standing right next to you? There’s a swarm of mosquitoes over your head and have you always wondered why? No, it’s not because you’re wearing black or because of your blood type!
In the latest paper published in the journal ‘Cell’, researchers found out that it is body odours that make all the difference. Mosquitoes are more drawn to people whose skin produces large levels of carboxylic acids, which each person’s individual fragrance profile is made up of.
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Carboxylic acids are typical organic substances. According to the study’s co-author Leslie Vosshall, a neurobiologist and mosquito expert, the human sebum, the oily layer that covers our skin, contains the acids that keep it hydrated and protected. It could also be that mosquitoes are attracted to the skin bacteria digesting the carboxylic acids we produce.
And no matter how much you changed your diet or grooming habits like soaps and lotions, the level of attraction to mosquitoes remained the same for people, as per the research. “This property of being a mosquito magnet sticks with you for your whole life — which is either good news or bad news, depending on who you are,” Vosshall said, as per ‘Scientific American’.
So, if you’re a mosquito magnet, fret not. Scientists are now working on better mosquito repellents that could probably be adding new bacteria to the skin to change its scent profile.