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Why Mosquitoes Prefer You Over Others

08 December 2020

The mosquito has very acute receptors in their antennae and head that can detect human scents from far. Our smell is the primary indicator for the mosquito to identify us.

Only female mosquitoes bite, as they need the protein found in blood to produce their eggs.

Certain mosquito species do exhibit a preference for human blood, such as the Anopheles gambiae that carries and spread the Malaria. While other species of mosquitos portray scavenger-liked behaviours


HUMAN SCENTS THAT ATTRACT MOSQUITOES

CARBON DIOXIDE
Mosquito is attracted to the carbon dioxide we exhale, both the scent and the amount. During exhalation, we will release octenol, lactic acid, fatty acids and uric acid with CO2 that forms our unique scents, signalling to mosquitoes that there is a human nearby. Therefore, the more carbon dioxide we emit, the more comfortable we are to recognise.

Plus-size people exhale more CO2, which is why adults are more likely to be bitten than children. Pregnant women also emit above average amounts and are therefore more attractive to mosquitoes.

BODY ODOR
Bacterial colonies combined with sweat generate that sweet (if you’re a mosquito) human scent we call body odour.

Without the bacteria, our sweat would be odourless; with the bacteria, our sweat is one of the more attractive scents for mosquitoes, notably the malaria-carrying Anopheles gambiae, which prefers to bite humans.


MOSQUITOES ARE MAGNETS TO SECRETIONS
Our DNA determines if we are a secretor or non-secretor. Majority of us are secretors who secrete compounds known as saccharides and antigens through their skin and indicate blood type.


BLOOD TYPE
We secrete different scents based on our blood types. Some studies have shown that mosquitoes are most attracted to Type O blood and least attracted to Type-A.

LACTIC ACID
Mosquito is attracted to people with a higher build-up of lactic acid on their skin. Lactic acid is emitted through our skin when we are performing strenuous activities or consuming specific food such as yoghurt and cheese.

Kuzuzangpo la!

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