Scientists have discovered a specific component of human body odor that potentially attracts mosquitoes.
This component is a chemical compound found in cheese or milk.
This claim is one in America research I came forward.
The research, published in Current Biology, sought to find out what odors the human body most attracts to mosquitoes.
For this purpose, a glass cage was used in which hundreds of African malaria mosquitoes were trapped.
Contrary to the name, these mosquitoes do not spread malaria.
The cage was then attached to a tent of 8 individuals to examine the effects of body odor on mosquitoes.
Researchers discovered that mosquitoes are attracted to human body odors, particularly carboxylic acids, including butyric acid.
Butyric acid is a fatty acid that humans make in the stomach and is also found naturally in butter, hard cheese, milk, yogurt, and cream.
On the other hand, mosquitoes are less attracted to humans whose body odor is deficient in carboxylic acids.
In fact, experts discovered that the monoterpenoid eucalyptol, a component found in tea tree oil, does not attract mosquitoes.
This compound is commonly used in mouthwashes and cough syrups.
The findings will help us develop solutions that can help kill or repel mosquitoes, said experts involved in the study at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Earlier in May 2023, a Virginia Tech study suggested that the smell of coconuts can be helpful if you want to keep mosquitoes away.
The study looked at the extent to which different scented soaps played a role in protecting people from mosquitoes or making them more susceptible to them.
According to research, an individual’s body odor is the result of a combination of more than 350 unique chemicals, some of which are produced by our own bodies, while others are produced by the bacteria within us.
Everyone has the same chemicals in their bodies but in different amounts, which makes some people more susceptible to mosquitoes.
In this research, 4 people were included and they were asked to use 4 different soaps.
All the soaps contained a compound called limonene, which is found in citrus fruits and is believed to help repel mosquitoes.
But its presence in soaps made people more attractive to mosquitoes.
In total, the researchers found 4 chemicals to attract mosquitoes while 3 were effective in keeping them away.
But the scent of coconut was found to be the most effective in keeping mosquitoes away.
According to the researchers, the results show that mosquitoes do not like the smell of coconut, so the use of products made from this fruit, such as oil, is the best way to ward off these pests.
The results of this study were published in the journal Eye Science and the researchers said that more research is needed in this regard.
