Mosquitoes prefer to bite people than the Other Specified

Some people are so often bitten by mosquitoes, while others are not too ignored them. Why? Is it because of differences in body odor? Is it because of what they eat? Or because they have "sweet blood" that favored the winged attackers?

Some evidence has been there from previous studies. Obese people are more attractive to mosquitoes than thin people - perhaps because of extensive skin and their CO2 emissions are greater. Similarly, pregnant women, beer drinkers and the high body temperature more attractive. But the findings showed only spread wider body odors that attract mosquitoes, no mosquito preference towards a particular person.

Tests on twins

In a recent study, Mandeala Fernández-Granon from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that genetic factors seem to determine whether you like it or not by mosquitoes. He and his colleagues used the subject in the form of the identical twins and non-identical twins to determine how much genetic influence on the preference of mosquitoes.

For this experiment, the researchers used a glass tube Y-shaped branching female mosquitoes of the species Aedes aegypti were placed in a tube (please note that only female mosquitoes which suck the blood of humans because they need them for the production of eggs). At the end of each tube, the hands of the research subjects were placed. How many mosquitoes flying into each branch tube may be an indication of their preferences. Apparently, the number of mosquitoes flying in the hands of identical twins are much more balanced than in the hands of non-identical twins. This is clear evidence that attractiveness is determined by genetic or hereditary factors.

What exactly causes the differences in the attractiveness of mosquitoes, remains unclear. The researchers suspect that the body odor some people are more attractive to mosquitoes than others.

Help against mosquitoes

Scientists hope to develop this research further. Diseases such as dengue and malaria is transmitted through mosquito bites. Understanding the preferences of mosquitoes to be useful for the development of mosquito repellent products are new and individual strategies to avoid bites rationally based on genetic variation. Development of new methods is also possible to increase the production of natural repellent in humans, thus creating technology that can minimize the need for topical application.