It’s a fact, some people attract more mosquitoes – and therefore get bitten more – than others. According to a study, this might be partly explained by the presence of certain viruses which make people more palatable to these insects.
A method used by viruses to spread more easily
If some people think that the fact that mosquitoes prefer some people over others is a myth, they are wrong. A study has in fact shown that regarding 20% of people are more palatable to mosquitoes compared to others. According to a report from Smithsonian Magazine, there are various explanations for this phenomenon, in particular relating to blood group, the quantity of carbon dioxide emitted by the breath, genetics or even the color of clothing. New research adds a new explanation for mosquitoes’ preference for certain individuals.
According to this study carried out by researchers at the University of Connecticut, certain viruses can modify the smell of their host to make it more attractive to mosquitoes. According to the results of the study published in the journal Cellthese dangerous organisms include the virus Zika et l’arbovirus responsible for the dengue. According to the researchers, these viruses have developed this mechanism to increase their rate of transmission. ” Virus can manipulate hosts’ skin microbiome to attract more mosquitoes and spread faster “, indeed explained Penghua Wangco-author of the study, in a statement.
Remember that Zika is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes. Although it is rare for Zika to cause serious illness in adults, this disease can cause serious birth defects in the unborn children of infected pregnant women. Dengue is also a viral disease carried by mosquitoes. Infected people suffer from fever and rashes that sometimes lead to hemorrhaging and death. Every year, dengue causes regarding 20,000 deaths, most of the victims being children.
Fortunately, there is a way to defend yourself
To reach these conclusions, the researchers infected mice with Zika and dengue fever. The scientists also recruited dengue fever patients from a hospital in Chine. In particular, the researchers investigated whether the smell of mice and infected people was more attractive to mosquitoes compared to the smell of control groups. The smell of patients and mice with dengue fever or Zika was actually found to attract mosquitoes more.
After performing further analyses, the researchers found that dengue fever patients and mice had much higher than normal acetophenone release. Mice infected with Zika or dengue fever also produced 10 times more acetophenone than healthy mice. Besides these disturbing findings, researchers have also discovered that there is a way to counter this mechanism. They found that injections of isotretinoin might solve the problem. This derivative of vitamin A, known to increase the production of the antimicrobial peptide of the skin, has indeed made it possible to reduce the emissions of acetophenone in mice.