Hopkins study: Mosquitoes like body odor

Lou Moloch thinks it’s the blood of the islanders. A Coppin State University student’s mother is Jamaican. Perhaps that’s why mosquitoes attack students during summer hikes in Baltimore County.

“Maybe this is like an islander on the other side of the world,” Morlock said.

Kisha Edwards, fresh off the trails of Lake Roland Park, doesn’t understand the fuss. She can finish her duties as a postman in Catonsville without eating a single bite.

“Maybe it’s my blood type?” I don’t know. They don’t bother me at all,” Edwards said.

The seemingly capricious taste of mosquitoes baffles us. Do they prefer sweet skins? Is your blood type O?

New research in modern biology A study by an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University looks at body odor, a key factor that attracts mosquitoes to some people more than others.

Mosquitoes prefer men and women that contain high concentrations of foul-smelling butter, cheese, and three common natural compounds that smell closest to vomit.

“We all emit our own bouquet of 300 airborne chemicals that are released through our skin, our breath, and dissipated into the air.” Conor McMeniman, Malaria Institute, Johns Hopkins University.

Maryland reports a few mosquito-borne West Nile virus cases each year, but the bug is generally just a nuisance. Not so in southern Zambia, where McMeniman conducted his research and is home to malaria mosquitoes. According to the World Health Organization, malaria kills hundreds of thousands of people annually, more than 90% of which are reported in Africa.

Researchers have long sought ways to protect Africans from mosquitoes. If you can identify what attracts mosquitoes, you can reduce their attractiveness. Alternatively, you can build traps and feed them to save lives.

The research began with McMeniman’s hypothesis that mosquitoes evolved to detect the unique odors of the human body. But do they prefer some scents over others?

In Zambia, McMeniman and his team set up 65-foot-long screened cages to contain mosquito swarms. They assembled a small one-person tent outdoors and connected it to the cage with aluminum ducts. People fell asleep in the tents, and fans breathed their own breath and body odors into the mosquito nets. The duct ran into a heated landing pad. Researchers used infrared to track mosquitoes.

First, we tested the system, blowing clean air into the mosquito net. The insects appeared uninterested until they inhaled the subject’s breath and scent.

“Human odors really attract mosquitoes,” says McMeniman. “The warm object itself attracts little or no mosquitoes.”

McMeniman observed that mosquitoes prefer the same person every night. He calls these people “mosquito nets”.

Those who attracted the most had the highest concentrations of odorous natural compounds called carboxylic acids. These compounds are naturally produced by bacteria on the skin and are present in sweat and oils. High levels of his three acids were detected in the “mosquito magnet”, especially butyric acid (vomit smell), isobutyric acid (rotten butter) and isovaleric acid (cheese).

Few mosquitoes were attracted to the smell of sleepers, which contained high concentrations of similar natural compounds with plant-like scents such as eucalyptus, citrus, and sage.

McMeniman hopes to continue research into how diet affects body odor and, in turn, attracting individual mosquitoes. For now, he advises Marylanders to take routine precautions this summer, including mosquito spray, window screens, ceiling fans, and air conditioning.

Does Eating Too Much Cheese Attract Mosquitoes?

“It’s fun to think about, but it’s too early to make those associations,” McMeniman said. he paused. “I will continue to eat cheese. I love cheese.”

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