Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.
Skip to main content
Home

Header Top Menu

  • Careers
  • Investors
  • News
    • Press Release Archive
    • Press Statements
    • Podcasts
      • The Antigen Podcast
      • Get Science Podcast
      • Diverse Perspectives Podcast
      • menopause: unmuted
      • Hemcast
    • Contact Media Relations
    • Press Kits & Downloads
      • Company Press Kit
      • Pfizer Oncology Press Kit
      • PSA Narrative
      • RA NarRAtive
      • Rare Disease Gene Therapy Press Kit
      • ATTR-Amyloidosis Press Kit
      • UC Narrative
      • Eczema Inside Out Press Kit
  • Partners
    • Discovery to Pre-candidate
      • Focus Areas
        • Therapeutic Areas
          • Internal Medicine
          • Inflammation and Immunology
          • Oncology
          • Rare Disease
          • Vaccines
        • Therapeutic Modalities and Technology Platforms
          • Drug Safety
          • Gene Therapy
          • Target Sciences
          • Precision Medicine
          • Medicinal Sciences
            • Biologics Product & Process Development
            • Biotherapeutics Discovery
            • Medicine Design
            • Small Molecule Product & Process Development
        • Emerging Science
          • DNA Damage Response
          • Microsatellite Repeat Expansions
          • Senescence
      • Partnering Models
    • Candidate Through Commercialization
      • Focus Areas
        • Internal Medicine
        • Inflammation and Immunology
        • Oncology
        • Rare Disease
        • Vaccines
        • Hospital
    • Pfizer CentreOne
    • Pfizer Ventures
      • Our portfolio

Healthcare Professionals

  • Healthcare Professionals

Connect with Us

  • Connect with Us
    • Email
    • FAQ
    • Privacy Policy (NEW)
    • YouTube
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram
  • Your Health

    • Healthy Living
      • Brain & Nervous System
      • Cardiovascular Health
      • Cold & Flu
      • Digestive Health
      • Healthier Aging
      • Living Tobacco Free
      • Men’s Health
      • Mental Health
      • Nutrition & Fitness
      • Pediatric Health
      • Respiratory Health
      • Skin Health
      • Vaccines & Prevention
      • Women’s Health

    • Disease & Condition
      • Cancer
      • Cardiovascular Diseases & Conditions
      • Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders
      • Immune System Diseases & Conditions
      • Infections & Infectious Diseases
      • Neurological Diseases & Conditions
      • Menopause
      • Rare Disease
      • Vaccine-Related Conditions
      • Skin Diseases & Conditions
      • Atopic Dermatitis

    • Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

    • Managing your health
      • Caregiving
      • Evaluating Health Information
      • Tracking Your Health
      • Your Medicines
      • Health Literacy

    • Wellness
    Hot Topics

    Maintaining Emotional Well-Being During COVID-19

    Emotional Well-Being Tips for People Living with Chronic Inflammatory Conditions During COVID-19
  • Our Science

    • Driven to Discover the cure

    • Focus Areas
      • Internal Medicine
      • Inflammation & Immunology
      • Oncology
      • Rare Disease
      • Vaccines
      • Anti Infectives

    • Product Pipeline

    • Clinical Trials
      • Guide to Clinical Trials
      • Find a Trial
      • Expanded Access & Compassionate Use
      • Clinical Trials in Children
      • Partnering with Pfizer
      • Trial Data & Results
      • Research Integrity & Transparency
      • Diversity in Clinical Trials

    • R&D Platforms
      • Biosimilars
      • Gene Therapy
      • Medicinal Sciences
      • Precision Medicine
      • Maternal Immunization

    • Collaboration
      • Partner with Pfizer

    • Research sites

    • Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Scientific Resources
    HOT TOPICS

    MRNA VS. CONVENTIONAL VACCINES

    What Makes an RNA Vaccine Different From a Conventional Vaccine?
  • Our People

    • Meet The Experts
      • Scientists
      • Internal Medicine – Metabolic Disease
      • Inflammation & Immunology
      • Oncology
      • Rare Disease
      • Vaccines
      • Medical Professionals

    • The Journey

    • Leadership
      • Executives
      • Board Members
      • Company Fact Sheet

    • Diverse Perspectives
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Supplier Diversity
    HOT TOPICS

    Meet our new Chief Patient Officer, Dr. Dara Richardson-Heron

    dr_richardson_300x170.jpg

    Working Together to Empower Women

    VizagWomen_300x170.jpg

    • Hot Topics
  • Our Purpose

    • Commitment to Global Health
      • Expanding Access
      • Strengthening Health Systems
      • Providing Disaster & Humanitarian Relief
      • Unleashing the Power of Our Colleagues
      • Highlighting Individual Voices

    • Protecting People and the Environment
      • Pfizer's Green Journey
      • Product Stewardship
      • EHS Governance
      • EHS Supply Chain
      • Key Performance Indicators
      • Health & Safety
      • Human Rights

    • Positions on Health Policies
      • Ready for Cures
      • How does Pfizer price medicines?
      • Value of Medicines
      • Policy Positions
      • Creating Cures Through Facility Investments

    • Transparency
      • Working with Health Care Professionals
      • Transparency in Grants
      • Code of Conduct
      • Corporate Compliance
      • Sales and Marketing Compliance

    • Independent Grants
      • Competitive Grants Program
      • Independent Medical Education
      • Investigator Sponsored Research
      • Quality Improvement
      • COVID-19 Vaccine Grants

    • Contributions & Partnerships
      • Healthcare Charitable Contributions
      • Lobbying & Political Contributions
    HOT TOPICS

    Pfizer Women’s Resource Group

    Media Name: IWD_Pull_up_Banner_300x170.jpg

    • Hot Topics
  • Our Products

    • Product listing

    • How drugs are made
      • Branded vs. Generic
      • Biologics & Biosimilars
      • Commitment to Quality

    • Distributors
      • Pfizer Distributors
      • Greenstone Distributors

    • Medicine Safety
      • Reporting Adverse Events
      • Making Good Treatment Choices
      • Partnering With Patients
      • Health Literacy
      • Medicine Safety Tips for Patients
      • Counterfeiting
      • Unused Medicines

    • Safety Data Sheets

    • Medical Information Contacts

    • Pfizer Global Supply
    HOT TOPICS

    Universal vs. Single Payer Healthcare

    Media Name: universal_healthcare300x170.jpg
  • Careers

    • Working Here
      • Mission & Purpose
      • Culture
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Career Growth & Colleague Development
      • Compensation & Benefits
      • Ensuring Corporate Responsibility
    • Search Jobs
    • Student & Early Career
      • Postdoctoral Program
      • US Summer Student Worker Program
      • Opportunities for Veterans
    • Pfizer365.com
    • Our Hiring & Recruiting Process
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Tips for Interviewing at Pfizer
    • Connect With Us
  • Investors

    • Investors Overview
      • Why Invest / Our Story
      • Prospective Investors
      • Fact Sheet
    • Events & Presentations
    • Financials
      • Quarterly Reports
      • Annual Reports
      • SEC Filings
      • Interactive Data Filings
    • Investor News
    • Stock Information
      • Historical Price Lookup
      • Investment Calculator
      • Historical Stock Chart & Data
      • Dividend & Split History
      • Stock FAQs
    • Governance
      • Board Committees and Charters
      • The Pfizer Board Policies
      • Corporate Governance FAQs
      • Contact Our Directors
    • Shareholder Services
      • Stock FAQs
      • Advisory Information
      • Cost Basis Calculator
  • News

    • Contact Media Relations
    • Podcasts
    • Press Kits & Downloads
    • Press Release Archive
    • Press Statements
  • Partners
  • Footer links

    • Footer Aside Section1
      • CAREER-SEEKERS
      • INVESTORS
      • News & Media
      • Partners
    • Footer Aside Section 2
      • Healthcare Professionals
      • Business To Business
      • Change Region
      • Sitemap
    • Footer Aside Section3
      • Twitter
      • Facebook
      • Linkedin
      • Instagram
      • Youtube
    • Footer Aside Section4
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy

Why Are Some People More Tasty to Mosquitoes Than Others?

Why Are Some People More Tasty to Mosquitoes Than Others?
OUR SCIENCE/ Why Are Some People More Tasty to Mosquitoes Than Others?
September 18, 2017

By Get Science Staff - This article originally published on Get Science

A variety of factors influence why mosquitoes are attracted to us, but much of it comes down to genetics.

If you've ever spent time outdoors during the summer, you've seen that mosquitoes are not equal opportunity feasters. Some people can enjoy an evening in the backyard without a single bite, while others end up covered in itchy welts. So, what exactly makes some people more attractive to mosquitoes than others?

Science reveals that a variety of factors make us more palatable to winged pests, from the amount of carbon dioxide emitted in our breath to the color of clothing we're wearing (darker colors attract mosquitoes more than lighter ones). But in the end, much of the variation in mosquito preference comes down to two factors: our natural body odor and genetics.

The Rules of Attraction

Mosquitoes feast on us for practical reasons. Only the females bite humans and they do it to derive proteins from our blood to produce their eggs. To help locate their prey, females are equipped with special odor receptors that detect carbon dioxide and the scents of humans. And that means people who are greater emitters of carbon dioxide — generally, if they're overweight or pregnant — tend to be more attractive to mosquitoes.

Our blood type may also help determine mosquito preference. One study found that mosquitoes prefer people with type O blood nearly twice as much as those with type A blood. Regardless of blood type, the same study found that people who are “secretors” (emit a chemical on their skin that indicates their blood type) are more likely to have mosquitoes bite them. Other research has found that exercise — due to the lactic acid secreted in your sweat and increase in body temperature — may make you stand out more to the flying bloodsuckers.

twins_study_london_school_of_hygiene_and_tropical_medicine.jpg

A pair of twins recreate the mosquito experiment (credit: London School of Hygeine and Tropical Medicine)

Twinning Body Odor

If you have the misfortune of being a mosquito magnet, ultimately, it may come down to your genetic makeup. A 2015 twins study published in the journal PLOS One found that DNA may account for nearly 67 percent of mosquito attraction — at similar levels that height and IQ are genetically linked. The study took two groups of female twins — one group of identical and the other fraternal — and had them stick their hands in Y-shaped plexiglas containers that allowed mosquitoes to detect their odor without being allowed to bite. Researchers found that the identical twins, who shared the same exact genes, had more similar levels of mosquito attraction compared to the fraternal twin group. Because earlier studies had concluded that identical twins share more similar body odors than non-identical twins, the researchers concluded that genes play a role in body odor and mosquito attraction.

Related Hot Topics
cancer_and_enzymes_300x170.jpg
Attacking Cancer Cells That Develop Resistance
pfizer_get-science_smc_korean-breast-cancer_300x170.jpg
Using ‘Omics to Understand the Rise in Breast Cancers Among Young Asians
sharon_campbell300x170.jpg
An Inside Look at Pfizer’s Postdoc Program With Our Own Sharon Campbell
Breaking the Rules of Biology to Beat Rare Genetic Disease
new_rna_technology300x170.jpg
New RNA Technology Could Get the Flu Vaccine Right, Every Year
Media Name: manoj_charati300x170.jpg
This Scientist’s Life: Manoj Charati
Media Name: pfizer_get-science_red-vapor_bioduro_300x170.jpg
Using the Dr. Jekyll of Chemical Compounds to Advance Drug Synthesis
Media Name: cyclin-dependent_kinase_inhibitor_complex_1000x450.jpg
There’s No ‘I’ in Drug Development
Tags
Get Science
Show
Hide

Footer menu

  • Your Health
    • Healthy Living
    • Disease Conditions
    • Manage Your Health
  • Our Science
    • Therapeutic Areas
    • Product Pipeline
    • Clinical Trials
    • R&D Platforms
    • Collaboration
    • Research SItes
  • Our People
    • Meet the Experts
    • The Journey
    • Leadership
    • Diverse Perspectives
  • Our Purpose
    • Commitment To Global Health
    • Positions on Health Policies
    • Transparency
    • Contributions & Partnerships
  • Our Products
    • Product Listing
    • How Drugs are Made
    • Distributors
    • Global Product Information Contacts

Footer aside

  • Footer Aside Section1
    • CAREER-SEEKERS
    • INVESTORS
    • News & Media
    • Partners
  • Footer Aside Section 2
    • Healthcare Professionals
    • Business To Business
    • Change Region
    • Sitemap
  • Footer Aside Section3
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Linkedin
    • Instagram
    • Youtube
  • Footer Aside Section4
    • Contact Us
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
Pfizer Logo Footer

Copyright © 2002-2021 Pfizer Inc. All rights reserved. This information—including product information—is intended only for residents of the United States.
The products discussed herein may have different labeling in different countries.