scientists know body odors play a role in who mosquitoes bite most.
but they do not yet completely understand which odors mosquitoes find most attractive. why do mosquitoes appear to bite some individuals more than others? that is a question that vanderbilt biologist jason pitts almost always gets asked when people find out he studies mosquitos for a living. pitts is part of a research team that is developing new attractants and repellants to combat malaria and other mosquito-borne illnesses. he said:
we have a general answer to that question: it has to do with individual variations in body odor , but right now we do not understand the specific combination of odor ants that mosquitoes find most attractive.
the source of the aromatic compounds that produce body odor are bacterial colonies that exist on human skin, particularly in dark, moist areas such as the arm pits and between the toes. pitts and his colleagues have discovered that mosquito antennae are filled with hundreds of tiny odor receptors, which are individually tuned to detect specific odors. while they have identified dozens of aromatic compounds that trigger the mosquito's antennae, the researchers haven't discovered one that acts as a super-attractant. pitts said