Why are mosquitoes attracted to some people more than others? Study says it's because...

Whether we are sitting in the park or trying to fall asleep -- mosquitoes strike in moments when we are craving peace the most. We're all really tired of them. Yet, some people face the wrath of these pesky creatures more than the others. Have you ever wondered why that is the case? What is it that makes certain individuals more prone to a mosquito bite? Well there is science to it. Let us tell you in brief.

Study done in 2022
According to a study conducted in 2022, individuals who have higher levels of certain acids on their skin are as much as 100 times more attractive to the female Aedes aegypti -- responsible for the spread of several deadly diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and zika virus. The study had been conducted by researchers at the Rockefeller University in New York, United States, and published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Cell.

Natural scent at play
As part of the study, researchers collected the natural scent from people's skin by using nylon stockings on their arms. Then the clothes were cut into two-inch pieces and placed behind two separate trap doors where mosquitoes were flying. The researchers found that people who were highly attractive to mosquitoes produced significantly more carboxylic acids in their skin emissions. However, the study couldn't establish why mosquitoes were so attracted to this particular chemical.

A complex blend
The researchers also noted that there were limitations to the study as human skin odour happens to be a complex mixture. "Human skin odour is a complex blend of several classes of chemical compounds, each of which requires its own specialised analytical detection methods. Our study exclusively focused on compounds with carboxylic acid groups," they said in the paper.