[ad_1]
Researchers at Drexel University and the McGill University in Montreal have demonstrated that the needle-like proboscis that mosquitoes use to suck blood can function as a dispenser tip in 3D printing machines.
[ad_2]
Michael Tanenbaum
Source link
[ad_1]
The mosquito scourge might somehow be even worse than we thought. Intriguing research out this month finds it isn’t just females that are capable of sucking our blood—males can apparently do it, too.
Scientists from Pennsylvania State University and other institutions made their case in a preprint released last week on the website bioRxiv. Across various experiments and situations, they found evidence that some male mosquitoes will reliably feed on blood, at least under the right circumstances. The findings could overturn a long-held belief about the threat these insects pose to humans, the researchers say, though further research will be needed to better understand the phenomenon.
“We need to actually look at what’s happening in the field rigorously,” senior study author Jason Rasgon, an entomologist specializing in vector-borne diseases at Penn State, told Gizmodo.
Male adult mosquitoes have long been thought to feed on nectar and other sugary sources for their nourishment, whereas most female mosquitoes will regularly feed on other animals’ blood for their survival. And Rasgon and his colleagues weren’t initially looking to challenge these widely held assumptions.
A few years ago, however, one of Rasgon’s graduate students was conducting blood-feeding experiments with mosquitoes in the lab when she noticed some of the fed insects were male. Rasgon stopped the student from throwing out these mosquitoes. He had remembered a 2016 paper where researchers enticed Culex quinquefasciatus males into feeding on blood; the blood proved toxic, killing the males within days. Given the opportunity, he wanted to see if the same thing would happen with a different species, so the team simply kept an eye on them. To everyone’s surprise, their blood-drinking males lived just as long as males on a typical sugar diet.
“A lot of science is like that. I always say that most of the big advances we’ve made in my 20 years as a scientist have been accidents. And in general, scientific things start out as ‘Oh, that’s weird. What’s happening there?’” Rasgon said. “And most people don’t follow up, but you need to follow up on them.”
At first, Rasgon thought their finding was nothing more than a cool scientific footnote. But he and his team continued to pursue the research with their spare resources. In one experiment, for instance, they found they could get the males of certain species to routinely suck blood from an artificial feeder if the insects were first dehydrated—something they already showed will happen with females. They then created CRISPR-edited mosquitoes that lacked the ability to sense humidity. These males didn’t feed on blood, further hinting that dehydration is key to provoking blood-feeding in males.
Rasgon also started to discuss his work with other scientists in the field, who provided their own contributions to the now growing project. Some of the co-authors had collected male, blood-fed mosquitoes from the wild (hailing from Texas in the U.S. and Mallorca in Spain), for instance. These wild mosquitoes tested positive for vertebrate DNA (dog and human), indicating they had successfully fed on animal hosts.
Additionally, the team’s experiments demonstrated that some male mosquitoes can be infected with the blood-borne germ West Nile virus. What’s worst, the virus can replicate enough inside these males to potentially cause a new infection if transmitted to another host via blood feeding, they found.
In the trippiest part of this whole thing, Rasgon used himself as bait. As luck would have it, he had been scratched by his cat a day earlier, leaving behind a wound that was starting to scab over. He pulled the scab off and exposed his hand to a cage of 20 male dehydrated mosquitoes. Five of the males probed around the wound and one successfully fed off his blood. In another experiment, a male mosquito even successfully pierced Rasgon’s skin and caused a typical immune reaction to the bite, though only for ten minutes (this mosquito didn’t manage to find a blood-carrying capillary, however).
All in all, the team found that at least five species of male mosquitoes (Cx. tarsalis, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Ae. aegypti, Ae. notoscriptus, and An. stephensi) can feed on blood. And what first started as a small, quirky study written by three authors has now expanded to 17 authors from Germany, Spain, Australia, and the U.S. (sadly, Rasgon’s cat doesn’t seem to have gotten a credit for their contribution).
As interesting as this is, the researchers caution there’s still a lot we don’t know about what’s going on here.
The team’s research does suggest male mosquito blood feeding requires specific criteria, namely dehydration. That could mean this behavior only rarely happens in the wild. At the same time, Rasgon notes the real world is often harsh. So perhaps plenty of males get thirsty enough to try their proboscis at blood feeding.
Another crucial unanswered question is whether male mosquitoes are regularly spreading diseases to their hosts. Several of the species they studied are common vectors for germs that sicken people. And even if males only play a small part in the transmission cycle, that role could be significant enough to warrant attention. The researchers note that sterile male mosquitoes are being now used to combat mosquito-borne diseases like malaria—a strategy that could be riskier than currently assumed.
“I got into this thinking it was a stupid little whatever. And now I’m not so sure. I actually think this might be more important than we previously gave it credit for,” Rasgon said.
Rasgon and his team have submitted their study for peer-review, a vital part of vetting any research. And they’re optimistic that their findings can drive more interest into solving the mysteries surrounding the vampiric habits of male mosquitoes.
“We need to do this in a rigorous manner. We need to get some real funding. Some pretty hardcore field work needs to be done,” Rasgon said. “Hopefully next year we’ll be able to do that.
[ad_2]
Ed Cara
Source link
[ad_1]
A western Minnesota woman is speaking out about her life-changing experience with West Nile virus amid a rise in reported cases.
Clarissa Sparkl, 37, of Montevideo, experienced a case so severe that she now stays in an assisted living facility.
“Once you get West Nile, there is nothing you can do about it. It takes a week to diagnose it,” Lori Winterfeld, Sparkl’s mom, said.
That’s how long it took to diagnose Sparkl’s condition. By that time, her health had taken a turn for the worse.
“She got sick on a Friday, and by Monday she was hospitalized and intubated,” Winterfeld said. “The only thing she could move initially were her eyebrows. And then she could eventually blink. It’s been a long, long haul.”
Sparkl added, “I didn’t know what happened because I was young and healthy.”
Her family believes she may have been bitten by a mosquito carrying West Nile in her own backyard. She also takes medication for multiple sclerosis, which Winterfeld thinks may have made it harder to fight off the virus.
“One percent of the cases of West Nile are neuroinvasive, and hers hit her brain stem,” Winterfeld said.
Sparkl became so weak that last year, she was forced to leave her husband, Jesse, and 10-year-old daughter behind, and move into a nursing facility in St. Paul. That’s where Winterfeld takes care of her during the week, and Jesse drives from Montevideo to be with her on the weekends.
Over time, some movement has returned to her arms and her hands.
The goal now is to get Sparkl off her breathing tube, and once that happens, she can go home. Her family is hoping that it can happen by November.
“It’s really hard because I love my daughter,” Sparkl said.
Winterfeld added, “It’s been hard on her, too, not having a mom at home. Video chat is wonderful. She gets to see her mom every day, and she gets to talk to her.”
Even with a homecoming on the horizon, the fight against the virus will continue.
“It’s been a bad year for West Nile. In every state, it was very early,” Winterfeld said.
Before she got sick, Sparkl worked as a social worker, a teacher and a pharmacy technician. A GoFundMe page has been set up in her name to help pay for medical care.
[ad_2]
John Lauritsen
Source link
[ad_1]
The Maryland Department of Health said Friday that an adult living in central Maryland has tested positive for West Nile virus, which is the first confirmed human case in the state so far this year.
The Maryland Department of Health said Friday that an adult living in central Maryland has tested positive for West Nile virus, which is the first confirmed human case in the state so far this year.
The patient is currently recovering from the infection. The health department did not confirm which county the person is residing, citing patient confidentiality issues.
The virus is transmitted to humans through infected mosquitoes that have contracted the disease through birds. In rare cases, the virus can also be spread from person to person through organ donation, blood transfusion or from a pregnant woman to a fetus.
“We urge people to be vigilant and take steps to avoid infection, such as eliminating standing pools of water where mosquitoes can breed,” Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services Dr. Meg Sullivan said in a statement.
In 2024, 18 Maryland residents tested positive for West Nile virus.
Nearly 80% of those infected with the disease do not develop symptoms, but some may experience mild symptoms, such as fever, headache and body aches, as well as skin rashes or swollen lymph lands. Symptoms can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks.
The virus, which mainly affects the nervous system, is often more severe for those over 50 or those with previous health conditions once infected.
This page contains a video which is being blocked by your ad blocker.
In order to view the video you must disable your ad blocker.
DC Health urges residents to take precautions after several birds test positive for West Nile virus
D.C. health officials also recently came across four dead American crows that tested positive for the virus in Wards 2, 3, 5 and 7. D.C. Health recommended residents to take precautions by wearing long-sleeved clothing and wear EPA-approved mosquito repellent.
The Maryland health department urges people who are concerned about mosquito bites to cover up exposed skin and monitor their yards and gardens for high mosquito activity, especially areas with standing water that can attract the insects.
The department launched a campaign in May to prevent mosquito bites, including a social media tool kit to educate Marylanders on protecting themselves and their homes from mosquitoes.
Although birds are not routinely tested for West Nile virus in Maryland, sick or injured birds can be reported to an appropriate local wildlife rehabilitator. Residents can call 877-463-6497 for a list of licensed rehabilitators or visit the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Wildlife.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
[ad_2]
Zsana Hoskins
Source link
[ad_1]
Health officials in D.C. are urging residents across the city to take precaution after four birds in four different neighborhoods tested positive for West Nile virus last month.
Health officials in D.C. are urging residents across the city to take precaution after four birds in four different neighborhoods tested positive for West Nile virus last month.
D.C. Health said a partner agency, City Wildlife, tested four American crows and the results came back positive. The birds were found in Wards 2, 3, 5 and 7, according to Joy McFarlane Mills, program manager for the agency’s Division of Animal Services.
The health agency tests for the virus from June until October, when the weather is warmest. Most of the testing has yielded negative results, McFarlane Mills told WTOP. Officials usually test mosquitoes, but when four dead birds were found, those were tested too.
“It’s here, and we always need to take prevention mechanisms,” McFarlane Mills said. “Just continue to know that it’s endemic to the District of Columbia. We don’t want people to stay indoors. We want you to still do everything in the District, but just make sure you’re taking precautions. Safety is key in protecting yourself.”
The latest positive results are the city’s first in wild birds since two American crows were found to have the virus in 2021. An average of three human cases were reported annually between 2020 and 2024, according to D.C. Health data, and there haven’t been any human cases reported so far in 2025.
D.C. Health notified personnel and residents in the impacted areas, and McFarlane Mills said that means wearing long sleeves and long pants, and using an Environmental Protection Agency-approved repellent, particularly from dawn to dusk.
Birds are what McFarlane Mills described as a “dead host … but the key concern is the vector of mosquitoes.”
Mosquitoes could feed on infected birds, and spread the virus to humans through a bite on the skin. People who get infected usually report flu-like symptoms, including fever and chills.
“West Nile virus has been here. The mosquitoes are going to be here. Just (ensure) that you are taking those prevention and protection precautions,” McFarlane Mills said.
The virus has been in D.C. since 2002, McFarlane Mills said.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
[ad_2]
Scott Gelman
Source link
[ad_1]
More cases of mosquito-borne diseases — including West Nile virus and eastern equine encephalitis — are being reported in the U.S., prompting questions about where exactly the illnesses have been detected.
Eastern equine encephalitis, also called EEE or Triple E, is a rare but potentially deadly virus that is typically spread by mosquitoes in certain swampy areas, including red maple and white cedar swamps in Massachusetts. Experts think horses may be a host animal of the virus, hence the word “equine” in the name.
Last month, a 41-year-old New Hampshire man, who was was healthy and had no underlying conditions, died of the virus. Now another man from the state is fighting for his life after testing positive for EEE and two other mosquito-borne viruses, West Nile and St. Louis encephalitis.
The CDC and state health departments are tracking cases of EEE, as seen in the map below. New cases will appear on the map above after being reported to the CDC, but there may be some delays; the CDC says it updates its data every one to two weeks between June and December.
Health officials are also tracking cases of West Nile virus, the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental U.S.
While it spreads during mosquito season in the summer and fall, experts warn a warming climate means mosquito season is getting longer, prompting greater potential for the spread of disease.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who headed up the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic, recently made headlines when he was hospitalized with West Nile. Last month he told CBS News he was home from the hospital and expected to make a full recovery.
The map below shows states with reported cases of West Nile virus in 2024. As with the EEE map, there may be some delays before the latest cases are added, with the CDC updating every one to two weeks between June and December.
Mosquitoes can also spread other illnesses, including dengue fever, which has been found in Puerto Rico, Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands this year, and the Oropouche virus, or “sloth fever,” which some travelers recently contracted in Cuba.
The best way to avoid getting sick from mosquitoes to avoid getting bitten in the first place.
To reduce your risk, experts suggest:
Protecting yourself is especially important for people who are more at risk, said CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook, including the elderly and those immunocompromised.
[ad_2]
[ad_1]
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
[ad_2]
[ad_1]
We are in the middle of summer, the time to enjoy the great outdoors with bbqs, picnics, beach trips, hiking or just gardening outside. You let the body soak up the sun and absorb as much vitamin D as possible. But with the the benefits of the summer months comes a pesky annoyance…bug bites. It seems bugs, especially mosquitos are drawn to certain people. And it can be an irritating, itchy mess. Warm weather also brings out other types of insects, but can CBD take the sting out of summer bug bites?
RELATED: 3 Ways CBD Can Help You Get Into Swimsuit Shape
Like humans, insects love the summer. Since they are cold blooded, the environment regulates their body temperature, making them much more active. Larvae grow faster, their speed increases and mating peaks. It is a fiesta for the flys, mosquitoes and bees. Food is plentiful and partners are abundant. As there numbers boom, they see humans as a quick, tasty treat.
There are a variety of reasons bugs are draw to people. The smell of lactic acid and ammonia in your sweat is a bacon for bugs. Mosquitoes have a special receptor that helps them tune into the smell of your body odor. Even trace amounts on your socks and shoes can be enough to ring the dinner bell. Eating and drinking outdoors calls to insects because many of our food sources are also theirs.
Type O and Type A blood seems to be a mosquitoes’ preferred blood type as compared to B and AB. There is not much you can do about your genes.
When an insect sees light, it tells them a path is not blocked by a predator or obstacles. It also let’s them see food, which might be an innocent human sitting minding their own business.
Cannabis, CBD and hemp help ward off bugs. Consuming cannabis is one way to keep the pests away. The smoke can be a repellent. CBD and hemp oils and creams can also help. Hemp oil composition is dominated by (E)-caryophyllene, myrcene and α-pinene and is toxic to houseflies.
RELATED: Americans Love Trying New Drugs In Summer, Says Science
CBD oil and lotions are helpful with bug bites. Bites are partially inflamed and swollen causing red skin. CBD topicals can reduce the inflammation and swelling, so the bites will reduce and won’t feel as itchy. Definitely a benefit.
And the last note, despite the reputation for being busy, bees, flies, ants, and many other insects love their cocktails, especially beer. They get a similar buzz as humans. Keep your refreshment covered can help avoid them hanging around.
[ad_2]
Amy Hansen
Source link
[ad_1]
MINNEAPOLIS — April showers bring May flowers, but they also bring mosquitoes. The buzzing, bites and bumps are back.
“We found our first larva at the end of February, we usually don’t have it till April or early May, said Alex Carlson, Metropolitan Mosquito Control District (MMCD) Public Affairs Manager.
But with the blast of winter in February and recent rain, Carlson said it’ll be a normal year.
“We are expecting to see quite a few spring mosquitoes that’ll be coming out of the water in the next couple weeks,” Carlson said.
MMCD field crews are out surveying wetlands before sending samples to its St. Paul lab.
That’s where technicians like Carey Lamere determine the type of mosquito and size before a helicopter treatment can begin.
“Sizes are still on the small size we have time to go get our treatments in,” Lamere said, looking through a microscope.
RELATED: How do they treat for mosquitoes when they’re not even around?
Choppers spray chemicals that prevent baby mosquitoes from becoming biting adults.
“The bigger it is we know we have a limited window to get materials in water to control those mosquitos if they’re the species we want to target,” Carlson said.
Even after treatment, Carlson says it’s tough to say how many mosquitos will have to swat away
“It’s looking like we might be in a dryer year but it’s hard to say this far out, all it takes is a couple of heavy rains and mosquitos are back,” he said.
Studies have shown the following can attract mosquitoes:
The best way to keep them away is to use bug spray with DEET in it.
[ad_2]
Ubah Ali
Source link
[ad_1]
In recent weeks, Rochester residents have enjoyed unusually warm weather, leading to an earlier appearance of mosquitoes.
According to Kaitlin Stack Whitney, an assistant professor and leader of the Stack/Whitney Collaborative of Entomology, Environment, and Technology at RIT, the dormancy period of mosquitoes, known as diapause, and their subsequent emergence is influenced by factors such as the duration of daylight rather than temperature alone.
The study of these insects, particularly in the context of climate change, remains underfunded despite its growing importance as the habitats and range of mosquito species shift, potentially bringing diseases typically confined to warmer regions closer to home.
Climate changes, including milder winters with less snowfall but increased rain, create ideal conditions for mosquito breeding, with species like the invasive Asian tiger mosquito capable of laying eggs in minimal amounts of water.
The Northeast is experiencing a rapid warming of winters, contributing to a rise in the number of days suitable for mosquito activity in Rochester since 1970.
This warming trend poses a challenge, as it could extend the geographical spread and overwintering capabilities of pest insects, including mosquitoes.
New York is home to around 70 mosquito species, with about a third of them known to carry diseases. The majority of disease-carrying mosquitoes are located in the southern parts of the state, with upstate New York primarily at risk from West Nile virus and eastern equine encephalitis.
In 2023, Monroe County reported a single case of West Nile virus in humans, despite no positive mosquito detections, partly due to a lack of testing by the state Department of Health. Conversely, no cases were reported in the counties surrounding Monroe, but New York State recorded a total of 32 cases outside of the New York City area.
Eastern equine encephalitis remained absent in Western New York but was present in counties along the eastern shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.
Common disease vectors in the state include mosquitoes from the Ades, Culex, and Anopheles genera. The Culex pipiens, or Northern house mosquito, is prevalent in New York, thriving in stagnant water and capable of spreading West Nile virus and eastern equine encephalitis.
Despite their notoriety, mosquitoes also play positive roles in ecosystems, such as pollination, with certain species contributing to the pollination of orchids in New Jersey and the Adirondacks.
Stack Whitney emphasizes the complexity of categorizing insects as purely beneficial or harmful, advocating for balanced discussions on the ecological roles of mosquitoes and strategies for mitigating disease risks.
[ad_2]
Srdjan Ilic
Source link
[ad_1]
CNN
—
Bangladesh is battling its worst dengue outbreak on record, with more than 600 people killed and 135,000 cases reported since April, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, as one of its experts blamed the climate crisis and El Nino weather pattern for driving the surge.
The country’s health care system is straining under the influx of sick people, and local media have reported hospitals are facing a shortage of beds and staff to care for patients. There were almost 10,000 hospitalizations on August 12 alone, according to WHO.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a news briefing Wednesday that of the 650 people who have died since the outbreak began in April, 300 were reported in August.
While dengue fever is endemic in Bangladesh, with infections typically peaking during the monsoon season, this year the uptick in cases started much earlier – toward the end of April.
Tedros said WHO is supporting the Bangladeshi government and authorities “to strengthen surveillance, lab capacity, clinical management, vector control, risk communication and community engagement,” during the outbreak.
“We have trained doctors and deployed experts on the ground. We have also provided supplies to test for dengue and support care for patients,” he said.
A viral infection, dengue causes flu-like symptoms, including piercing headaches, muscle and joint pains, fever and full body rashes. It is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito and there is no specific treatment for the disease.
Dengue is endemic in more than 100 countries and every year, 100 million to 400 million people become infected, according to WHO.
All 64 districts across Bangladesh have been affected by the outbreak but the capital Dhaka – home to more than 20 million people – has been the worst-hit city, according to WHO. Though cases there are starting to stabilize.
“Cases are starting to decline in the capital Dhaka but are increasing in other parts of the country,” Tedros said.
Dhaka is one of the most densely populated cities in the world and rapid unplanned urbanization has exacerbated outbreaks.
“There is a water supply problem in Dhaka, so people keep water in buckets and plastic containers in their bathrooms or elsewhere in the home. Mosquitoes can live there all year round,” Kabirul Bashar, professor at Jahangirnagar University’s Zoology department, wrote in the Lancet journal last month.
“Our waste management system is not well planned. Garbage piles up on the street; you see a lot of little plastic containers with pools of water in them. We also have multi-story buildings with car parks in the basements. People wash their vehicles down there, which is ideal for the mosquitoes.”
To cope with the onslaught of infections, Bangladesh has repurposed six Covid-19 hospitals to care for dengue patients and requested help from WHO to help detect and manage cases earlier, WHO said.
The record number of dengue cases and deaths in Bangladesh comes as the country has seen an “unusual episodic amount of rainfall, combined with high temperatures and high humidity, which have resulted in an increased mosquito population throughout Bangladesh,” WHO said in August.
Those warm, wet conditions make the perfect breeding ground for disease-carrying mosquitoes and as the planet continues to rapidly heat due to the burning of fossil fuels, outbreaks will become more common in new regions of the world.
The global number of dengue cases has already increased eight-fold in the past two decades, according to WHO.
“In 2000, we had about half a million cases and … in 2022 we recorded over 4.2 million,” said Raman Velayudhan, WHO’s head of the global program on control of neglected tropical diseases in July.
As the climate crisis worsens, mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever will likely continue to spread and have an ever greater impact on human health.
“We are seeing more and more countries experiencing the heavy burden of these diseases,” said Abdi Mahamud, WHO’s alert and response director in the health emergencies program.
Mahamud said the climate crisis and this year’s El Nino weather pattern – which brings warmer, wetter weather to parts of the world – are worsening the problem.
This year, dengue has hit South America severely with Peru grappling with its worst outbreak on record. Cases in Florida prompted authorities to put several counties on alert. In Asia, a spike in cases has hit Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia, among other nations. And countries in sub-Sarahan Africa, like Chad, have also reported outbreaks.
Calling these outbreaks a “canary in the coalmine of the climate crisis,” Mahamud said “global solidarity” and support is needed to deal with the worsening epidemic.
[ad_2]
[ad_1]
Do you hate mosquitoes as much as we do? This tiny gadget from Nitecore is designed to keep the little biting pests away while camping or enjoying other outdoor activities. The palm-sized EMR30SE offers a protection zone from 10 to 20 feet and works by heating and diffusing a replaceable mosquito repellant cartridge. Requires a USB-C battery pack.
Crowdfunded projects pose a degree of risk for buyers, so be sure to do your research before paying your hard-earned money.
[ad_2]
Paul Strauss
Source link
[ad_1]
For as long as I can remember, I have been that friend—the one who, from May to November, gets invited to every outdoor soiree. It’s not because I make the best desserts, even though I do. It’s because, with me around, the shoes can come off and the DEET can stay sheathed: No one else need fear for their blood when the mosquitoes are all busy biting me.
Explanations abound for why people like me just can’t stop getting nipped—blood type, diet, the particular funk of the acids that emanate from our skin. Mosquitoes are nothing if not expert sniffers, evolving over millennia to detect the body’s many emissions, including the carbon dioxide we exhale and the heat we radiate.
But to focus only on a mosquito’s hankering for flesh is to leave a whole chapter of the pests’ scent-seeking saga “largely overlooked,” Clément Vinauger, a chemical ecologist at Virginia Tech, told me. Mosquitoes are omnivores, tuned to sniff out blood and plants. And nowadays, most humans, especially those in the Western world, tend to smell a bit like both, thanks to all the floral, citrusy lotions and potions that so many of us slather atop our musky flesh.
That medley of scents, Vinauger and his colleagues have discovered, may be an underappreciated part of what makes people like me smell so darn good to pests. The findings are from a small study with just five volunteers, four brands of soap, and one mosquito species, and still need to be confirmed outside the lab. But they’re a reminder that, as good or as bad as some of us might inherently smell to a mosquito, the insects experience us as dietarily diverse smorgasbords—not just as our animal selves.
Researchers have also long known that “everything we use on our skin will affect mosquitoes’ behavior or attraction toward us,” says Ali Afify, a mosquito researcher at Drexel University. That includes extracts from plants—among them, chemicals such as citronella and limonene, which have both been found to repel the bloodsucking insects in at least some contexts. Something about encountering floral and faunal cues together seems to bamboozle mosquitoes, as if they’re “seeing an organism that doesn’t exist,” says Baldwyn Torto, a chemical ecologist and mosquito expert at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology. After all, female mosquitoes, the only ones that bite, spend their lives toggling between seeking nectar and hunting for blood, but never both at the same time. That’s part of why Vinauger initially figured that soap might deter mosquitoes from flying in for a sip.
The story ended up being a bit more complicated. The researchers, led by Morgen VanderGiessen and Anaïs Tallon, collected chemicals from their volunteers’ arms—one scrubbed with soap, the other left aromatically bare—and offered them to the mosquitoes. One body wash, a coconut-and-vanilla-scented number made by Native, seemed to make a subset of people less appetizing, probably in part, Vinauger told me, because mosquitoes and other insects are not into coconut. (Duly noted.) But two other cleansers, made by Dove and Simple Truth, bumped up the attractiveness of several of their volunteers—even though all of the soaps in the study contained plenty of limonene. (None of the manufacturers of the body washes used in the study responded to a request for comment.)
No single product was a universal attractant or repellent, which probably says more about us than it does about body wash. A bevy of lifestyle choices and environmental influences can tweak an individual’s unique odor profile; even identical twins, Torto told me, won’t smell the same to a mosquito on the prowl. Soaped up or no, some people will remain stubbornly magnetic to mosquitoes; others will continue to disgust them. This makes it “hard to say, ‘Hey, this soap will make you really attractive’ or ‘That soap will keep mosquitoes completely away from you,’” says Seyed Mahmood Nikbakht Zadeh, a chemical ecologist and medical entomologist at CSU San Bernardino, who wasn’t involved in the study. Plus, soap is hardly the only scented product that people use: Whatever enticing ingredients your body wash might contain, Tallon told me, could easily be counteracted by the contents of your lotion or deodorant.
The point of the study isn’t to demonize or extol any particular products—especially considering how few soaps were tested and how many factors dictate each individual’s odor profile. The five volunteers in the study can’t possibly capture the entire range of human-soap interactions, though the researchers hope to expand their findings with a lot of follow-up. “I wouldn’t want the public to be alarmed about what type of soap they’re using,” Torto told me.
But just knowing that personal-care products can alter a person’s appeal could kick-start more research. Scientists could design better baits to lure skeeters away from us, or develop a new generation of repellents using gentle, plant-based ingredients that are already found in our soaps. “DEET is really efficient, but it’s a chemical that melts plastic,” Vinauger told me. “Could we do better?”
The researchers behind the study are already trying. After analyzing the specific chemicals in each of the soaps they tested, they blended some of the most alluring and aversive substances into two new concoctions—a flowery, fruity attractant and a nuttier repellent—and offered them to the insects. The repellent was “as strong as applying DEET on your skin,” Vinauger told me, “but it’s all coming from those soap chemicals.”
What’s not yet clear, though, is how long those powers of repulsion last. Most people don’t manage more than a daily scrub; meanwhile, “the odors coming out of your pores are continuously coming out, so in the long run, those might win out,” says Maria Elena De Obaldia, a neurogeneticist who previously studied mosquito attraction at Rockefeller University. And it’s a lot less practical to ask someone to shower every few hours than to simply reapply bug spray.
I’m certainly not ready to blame my mosquito magnetism on my body wash (which, for what it’s worth, contains a lot of “coconut-based cleanser”) or anything else in my hygiene repertoire. Part of the problem is undoubtedly just me—the tastiest of human meat sticks. But the next time I shop for anything scented, I’ll at least know that whatever wafts out of that product won’t just be for me. Some pest somewhere is always catching a stray whiff.
[ad_2]
Katherine J. Wu
Source link