According to an American study, mosquitoes use “receptors” to detect the smell of particularly “welcoming” human skin.
Do you feel like a mosquito’s favorite prey? Science has discovered that it might not be a coincidence. As a reminder, bites always come from female mosquitoes. Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine (United States) claim to have identified receptors in mosquitoes located on the nerve cells of their antennae. Thanks to this, these insects would be able to refine their ability to detect particularly odors “welcoming” on human skin. Moreover, with these antennae, mosquitoes can tell the difference between animals and humans.
“Understanding the molecular biology of mosquito odor detection is key to developing new ways to avoid bites and the costly illnesses they cause.“, exposes the scientist Christopher Potter in the press release of the University. Before completing: “Taste receptors detect carbon dioxide. Ionotropic receptors react to acids and amines, compounds found on human skin. It’s thought that different levels of particular acids on human skin might be a reason why some people are more attractive to mosquitoes than others.“.
Blood types and favorite colors
In recent years, many studies have analyzed mosquitoes to identify the reasons why some people are bitten more as summarized West France. While some scientists have determined that the higher the body temperature, the more frequent the bites, others have found that human emissions of carbon dioxide also attract these insects more.
Another study had already revealed that red, orange, black and cyan blue were the colors that mosquitoes loved the most. Finally, those who belong to type O and A blood group would also be more preferred targets than those of group B.