Why are you sometimes the only person to return from a getaway covered in mosquito bites, while the others come out unscathed? According to different researches, there are several reasons why some people look more palatable in the eyes of mosquitoes.
Some people may have the impression, sometimes justified, of having more success than others with mosquitoes. Beyond the discomfort of itching, it can quickly become a more serious problem in case of allergies, especially in regions of the world where mosquitoes are vectors of diseases such as malaria or dengue fever. For decades, scientists have studied the subject and identified mosquito attractors. The blood group plays, but not only.
“Mosquitoes landed twice as many on people with blood group O”
Studies conducted in 1974, 2004 et 2019 on different species of mosquitoes have made the same observation: mosquitoes prefer to feed on blood group O. In particular, the 2004 study established that mosquitoes land twice as much on people with blood group O as blood type A, which in turn appealed to them more than people with type B.
The difference between blood groups
Blood groups are determined by the antigen expressed on the surface of red blood cells. People with blood group A express only the A antigen, and people with blood group B only the B antigen. People with blood group AB express both, and people with blood group O express neither.
In some people, these antigens are also secreted in bodily fluids such as tears or saliva. Being one of these people will attract mosquitoes more easily, regardless of blood type. In those individuals whose blood type is O, the antigen secreted in tears and saliva is the H antigen, a precursor of the A and B antigens.
Blood type: the only factor for attracting mosquitoes?
But blood type is not the only individual factor at play. It is partly thanks to the carbon dioxide that we breathe out that mosquitoes locate their prey. Thus, the more carbon dioxide one exhales, the more mosquitoes one attracts. This explains why pregnant women are more often victims of their bites: a study has shown that they emit 21% more carbon dioxide than another individual.
It is also thanks to the heat emitted by human metabolism that mosquitoes spot us: mosquitoes are attracted to heat sources, whatever they may be. The smell of certain components of our skin, such as lactic acid, metabolized after exercise, is also appetizing for mosquitoes. You will therefore be more vulnerable to these insects after playing sports.
Did you know ?
Mosquitoes can spot their prey from up to 50 meters away.
In addition, the bacteria present naturally on the surface of our skin and different from one individual to another can make us more or less interesting targets. A study showed that mosquitoes land more readily on people with a higher amount of bacteria but a lower diversity of bacteria on the skin.
Another one study conducted in 2002 concluded that the smell of alcohol also attracted mosquitoes more: they landed more often on people who had recently drunk a small amount of beer. Finally, people dressed in black are also potential targets because mosquitoes are more attracted to dark colors.