At this point, mosquitos might as well be our state mascot. They’re everywhere, constantly biting and leaving behind itchy marks. Yet a recent study has found that some people are more prone to mosquito attacks than others.

Mosquitoes find people via carbon dioxide density in the air and body heat and odor. Like many other animals, humans exhale carbon dioxide with every breath. These organisms are exactly what mosquitos target. Using specialized sensors, these pesky insects track down their targets. Yet mosquitoes may be even smarter than we thought. They prefer blood richer in nutrients, which places human blood at the highest level of their dietary preferences. Because of this, mosquitos have evolved to quite literally smell out which blood has the most nutrients.

Starting in 2019, 8 test subjects volunteered to wear nylon stockings over the lower parts of their arms. This was required for six hours every few days. After the stockings had absorbed the scents of the wearer, the scientists took the stockings and put them in two plexiglass tubes. They then released the mosquitos to see which one they would fly to.

The study found that there was a high distinction between mosquito attraction level between participants. The participants that attracted the most mosquitoes also had the highest levels of carboxylic acid emitted in the sebum on their skin. This acid is used to protect the skin from certain bacterias found in nature. Due to natural genetic diversity, the combination of this acid with the other molecular compounds on the skin is unique to every person. Because of this, humans each have a ‘smell fingerprint’.

According to the study, anybody with a high concentration of carboxylic acid in their skin attracts mosquitoes. This was corroborated by a follow-up study, in which the test subjects were changed. Yet again, the stockings of the subjects with the highest acid concentration attracted the most mosquitoes.

Using the results of this study, scientists are working with bug repellent companies. Their goal is to use the information gathered to make a more effective bug repellent. One idea is creating a type of cloth or towelette that soaks up as much carboxylic acid off the skin as possible. This would decrease the amount of attraction an individual has to mosquitos.

Another idea is creating a bug spray that masks or neutralizes the carboxylic acid smell on the skin. This would eliminate the main attraction feature mosquitos have to specific individuals. Yet health professionals worry about the potential dangers involved in this, as any fine particle on the skin has a higher chance of getting absorbed into the body.

Unfortunately for us, these ideas are still well into the future. Yet thanks to this recent study, we have been able to pinpoint the exact cause of mosquito attraction. With a more specific cause comes a more specific solution. And while this solution is still in the imagination stage, progress is being made.