2023-08-24 05:47:03
If there’s a mosquito lurking, is it for you? Some people actually seem to be bitten more frequently by these insects than others. These are the possible causes.
You emit a smell that excites them
In practice, it is not your skin that attracts female mosquitoes, but rather the smells that emanate from it. “The mosquito captures the molecules suspended in the air, in particular the molecules of carbon dioxide emitted when we breathe, explains Anna-Bella Failloux, entomologist and head of the Arboviruses and Insect Vectors laboratory of the Institut Pasteur. This carbon dioxide, or CO2, attracts mosquitoes. It is also the case of certain bacteria that grow on the surface of the skin that diffuse different other molecules.” Each individual emits different odors and depending on the molecular composition, mosquitoes are more or less attracted. For example, ammonia is a molecule that often comes up in scientific studies. Ammonia is released by bacteria present on the surface of our skin. “We are all different. This is why there is no universal repellent to date”confesses the specialist.
you sweat a lot
“Depending on our physiological state, the composition of the molecules is different. For example, a person who sweats because of a fever or following playing sports will favor certain bacteria on the surface of the skin. The molecules released by the bacteria , therefore by the person, will then attract or scare away mosquitoes”, says the entomology expert. “This is also the case with certain ingested cuisines: the person gives off a stronger odor”.
You wear dark colored clothes
The color of the clothes one wears seems to have an influence on the attractiveness of mosquitoes. A scientific study published in February 2022 in the journal Nature suggests that certain colors of clothing attract mosquitoes. These insects detect and are attracted to long wavelength colors, such as orange or red. This red color also explains the attraction of mosquitoes for human skin, observe the researchers. Mosquitoes are also attracted to black. On the other hand, they have no no affinity with light colors, such as light blue (cyan) or white and reject green hues, the study reads. For a walk in the forest, it is therefore preferable to wear light or green, but also to wear loose and covering clothing, as Madame Failloux advises.
You are pregnant
During a pregnancy in progress, women would attract more mosquitoes than those who are not expecting children. A study published in The Lancet in 2000, showed that the biological changes taking place during pregnancy influence the attractiveness of mosquitoes. The rise in their body temperature as well as the increase in the rate of carbon dioxide released through breathing would release more molecules on the surface of their skin.
you like beer
A link between alcohol consumption and mosquito attraction was suggested by a study published in the Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association. THE mosquitoes bit more easily people who consumed 350 milliliters of beer than those who had not consumed alcohol. However, this study has some limitations: it was only conducted on 13 individuals. Anna-Bella Failloux also has her own hypothesis on beer: “brewer’s yeast emanates from CO2. However, we know that CO2 is very attractive to mosquitoes”.
Baby’s skin attracts mosquitoes
Children and babies are more exposed to mosquito bites than adults. “Indeed, children are more often naked and unable to react. When a mosquito lands on their skin, they do not defend themselves. The skin of babies and children is thin and hairless: it reflects infrared rays. It is therefore easy for mosquitoes to approach the skin of a young child”, details the entomologist.
1692861630
#cases #privileged #target
