Scientists have discovered why mosquitoes attack certain people. They are attracted by a specific smell, the cause of which is heredity.
Researchers from the Rockefeller University in the USA decided to find out why mosquitoes in a company of people choose one or another of their victims. It turns out that these insects are guided by a specific smell, which is a combination of natural acids released through human skin.
Mosquitoes don't bite everyone the same
But this combination is not produced in the body of all people, but only certain ones, and chemical analysis has shown that genetics play a role in this matter. It affects the acid composition of the skin. This discovery is of great practical value, since it can be used in the development of new insect repellents.
Doctors explain why mosquitoes bite specific people
American scientists studied a selection of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are responsible for infecting humans with a wide variety of deadly pathogens. These include dengue fever, Zika virus and yellow fever. Thousands of tests were carried out over 174 days. It has been established that people with an increased level of carboxylic acids, which were excreted by the skin and settled on clothes, most often suffered from mosquitoes. (READ MORE)
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Rockefeller University
Medicine
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