Plasmodium-associated changes in human odor attract mosquitoes
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Re: Plasmodium-associated changes in human odor attract mosquitoes
#2"""
Malaria parasites (Plasmodium) can change the attractiveness of their vertebrate hosts to Anopheles vectors, leading to a greater number of vector–host contacts and increased transmission. Indeed, naturally Plasmodium-infected children have been shown to attract more mosquitoes than parasite-free children.
"""
Re: Plasmodium-associated changes in human odor attract mosquitoes
#3Very interesting
I am a person who mosquitoes love to bite but I don't have any disease (that I know off). My wife can lay next to me and not get a single bite while I am fighting them off left and right. I wonder what else can contribute to this difference.
Re: Plasmodium-associated changes in human odor attract mosquitoes
#4Very interesting I am a person who mosquitoes love to bite but I don't have any disease (that I know off). My wife can lay next to me and not get a single bite while I am fighting them off left and right. I wonder what else can contribute to this difference.
Mosquitoes are attracted to co2. You are probably just bigger than your wife, exhaling more co2.
Re: Plasmodium-associated changes in human odor attract mosquitoes
#5Very interesting I am a person who mosquitoes love to bite but I don't have any disease (that I know off). My wife can lay next to me and not get a single bite while I am fighting them off left and right. I wonder what else can contribute to this difference.
Mosquitoes are attracted to co2. You are probably just bigger than your wife, exhaling more co2.
That reasoning never quite made sense to me because if that was a or the major reason, why do I have the signs of unwanted mosquito encounters mostly on or my feet and ankles?
If that theory indeed is true I think CO2 is just a rough guide to find the approximate location (within meters) of something alive with blood. I think once close other guidance systems might take over.
My above opinion isn't worth much, but the CO2 hypothesis seems pretty limited to me?
Re: Plasmodium-associated changes in human odor attract mosquitoes
#6Very interesting I am a person who mosquitoes love to bite but I don't have any disease (that I know off). My wife can lay next to me and not get a single bite while I am fighting them off left and right. I wonder what else can contribute to this difference.
Mosquitoes are attracted to co2. You are probably just bigger than your wife, exhaling more co2.
I am 6'3" and 300 lbs. Mosquitoes pretty much ignore me.
Re: Plasmodium-associated changes in human odor attract mosquitoes
#7Very interesting I am a person who mosquitoes love to bite but I don't have any disease (that I know off). My wife can lay next to me and not get a single bite while I am fighting them off left and right. I wonder what else can contribute to this difference.
Mosquitoes are attracted to co2. You are probably just bigger than your wife, exhaling more co2.
My husband is virtually immune to mosquitoes, while they find me irresistible. I'm smaller than he is and have a much lower base metabolism.
Re: Plasmodium-associated changes in human odor attract mosquitoes
#8Very interesting I am a person who mosquitoes love to bite but I don't have any disease (that I know off). My wife can lay next to me and not get a single bite while I am fighting them off left and right. I wonder what else can contribute to this difference.
Mosquitoes are attracted to co2. You are probably just bigger than your wife, exhaling more co2.
Mosquitoes are generally attracted to Co2 but when it comes to differences between humans it's genetic. There are a few genes that influence it. See more in the veratasium [1] video below.
[1] https://veritasium.com/education/why-are-mosquitoes-attracte...
Re: Plasmodium-associated changes in human odor attract mosquitoes
#9""" Malaria parasites (Plasmodium) can change the attractiveness of their vertebrate hosts to Anopheles vectors, leading to a greater number of vector–host contacts and increased transmission. Indeed, naturally Plasmodium-infected children have been shown to attract more mosquitoes than parasite-free children. """
Thank you for posting this; I was trying to find a concise article about this phenomenon.
Re: Plasmodium-associated changes in human odor attract mosquitoes
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
Mosquitoes are attracted to co2. You are probably just bigger than your wife, exhaling more co2.
That reasoning never quite made sense to me because if that was a or the major reason, why do I have the signs of unwanted mosquito encounters mostly on or my feet and ankles? If that theory indeed is true I think CO2 is just a rough guide to find the approximate location (within meters) of something alive with blood. I think once close other guidance systems might take over. My above opinion isn't worth much, but th…
So, this might be a long shot, but I might hazard a guess that in hot, humid weather, with stagnant air, the dynamics of where exhaled exhaust goes, changes.
In the cold, dry air of winter your breath vents upward, but getting near sunny 90 degree weather, during summer time, it might descend and pool at the feet of gatherings of people at barbecues.
Carbon dioxide in ambient, matched temperature mixtures tends to be dense, and sinks toward the floor in many conditions (similarly true for carbon monoxide), but local conditions obviously vary, and odor travels differently than entire air masses. If mosquitos are already out, they probably travel along the odor gradient, toward the most concentrated area of scent.