Posted on 08/30/2007 6:38:23 PM PDT by blam
Why some people are prone to mosquito bites
By Nic Fleming, Science Correspondent
> Last Updated: 7:01pm BST 30/08/2007
Scientists have worked out why mosquitoes make a beeline for certain people but appear to leave others almost untouched.
Specific cells in one of the three organs that make up the mosquito’s nose are tuned to identify the different chemicals that make up human body odour.
To the mosquito some people’s sweat simply smells better than others because of the proportions of the carbon dioxide, octenol and other compounds that make up body odour.
It is those people who are most likely to be bitten.
The researchers believe the discovery of the way the mosquito smells will lead to the development of a new generation of repellents that would block mosquitoes’ nose - preventing them finding humans prey - within five to 10 years.
While helping those people who always seem to get bitten and people with allergic reactions to bites, such substances could also save millions of lives in the fight against malaria, most prevalent life-threatening disease in the world.
Mosquitoes use three organs to smell and taste – a feathery antenna which can identify a wide range of different chemicals, a proboscis used for short-range detection and the maxillary palp for longer range smelling.
US scientists, whose research was published today in the journal Current Biology, have produced a detailed map of the maxillary palp.
They found it contains a series of highly specialised receptor cells used to detect the different components of human body odour.
Laurence J. Zwiebel, professor of biological sciences at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, who led the study, said: “What makes mosquitoes such good transmitters of malaria is that they are extremely good at finding people to bite.
“The amazing thing that we found was that all the sensory hairs that line the bottom of the maxillary palp are identical.
“They are all attached to three neurons - one which is tuned to detect carbon dioxide, one which is tuned to detect octenol, and one which serves to enhance general olfactory reception.
“We are looking to make a new generation of repellents based on targeting these molecular components in the mosquitoe nose.
“If you can block or hyper-stimulate these receptors, the mosquito would not do nearly as well at finding human prey.”
Prof Zwiebel added he expected the new repellents to be available for use within five to ten years.
The tips of the organs that make up the mosquito nose are perforated with thousands of tiny holes that let aromatic compounds to penetrate.
Once inside chemicals encounter the receptors that detect specific molecules that identify potential targets as human.
Co-author of the research Tan Lu, also at Vanderbilt University, said: “These receptors are highly sensitive, which suggests that the maxillary palps serve as the malaria mosquito’s long-range detection system.”
Most of the reason for people believing they are targeted more frequently by mosquitoes is in reality down to their suffering more serious swellings and allergic reactions.
However it has been shown that some people are bitten more often because of differences in their body odour.
The researchers carried out their work on Anopheles gambiae, the mosquito species most responsible for spreading malaria.
They believe it can be applied to other malaria-spreading species.
Malaria infects some 650 million people per year worldwide and kills between one and three million, mostly young children in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The work is part of a large international collaboration led by the US National Institutes of Health aimed at developing a chemical strategy to combat the spread of malaria in the developing world.
bananas == potasium == more bites.
..from the land of black flies larger than B-17’s...
Just bring back DDT and spray
wow..who knew???
wish we could train these mosquitos to attack only Al Quida!!! they surely must smell!!
What a great way to test for those who emit the most carbon dioxide, and therefore are guiltiest of contributing to global warming.
Simply kill the people with the most mosquito bites. Voila. Reduce overpopulation, and cool the planet at the same time!
A twofer! I’m sure the UN would vote for that in a minute.
Third world countries already have. Apparently, it is only a problem in first world countries.
Hey, Maceman—I’m one of those people who doesn’t get bitten by mosquitoes-—and you’re wanting to do me in! What’s with that—LOL!
They love me, so it got's to be the funkiness............
Interesting story. My husband always gets bitten first and the most often. He will be glad to hear this.
If you don’t get bitten, you’re safe. They only go after the ones with the biggest personal carbon footprints.
Tis true - I used to run around the woods day and night, bugs never bugged me.
While my friends would get eaten alive.
LOL
Mosquitoes tend to stay away from me, but not so with my husband and son, they, unfortunately, need to keep the OFF handy when we go down to Belize.
LOL! Some friends were over and we were discussing the same thing. I TOLD them is was that skeeters had to just find some people 'tastier' than others!
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What makes mosquitoes such good transmitters of malaria is that they are extremely good at finding people to bite.
I wonder if the people that mosquitoes find attractive are more or less susceptible to catching malaria than the rest of the population?
Applied internally or externally?
:-)
I wish they had expalined a little more what causes some people to be more attractive to the the little beasts. I have always been a mosquito magnet. Thank heavens for OFF, which works wonders in confusing the nasty little creatures.
That was common in the 60’s.
Actually this is the basic premise behind “the Mosquito Eater” which recently went bankrupt much to my dismay. I have two of them and they function on the “octenol + carbon dioxide” theory. They work wonderfully well when I can get them lit, we have had a frustrating summer as mine are the ancient model. I am a true believer but I can NOT convince my other half that without them, this has been the buggiest summer in recent history!
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