An FIU team tested how strongly attracted three disease-spreading mosquito species were to 119 human volunteers. They found that each species favored a certain subset of people. The team also collected odor and microbiome samples to identify which compounds and bacteria were present in those people. "Our skin microbiomes define our human odor signature," says Matthew DeGennaro.
Aedes aegypti preferred people wearing no added scent and slightly preferred men over women. Aedes albopictus was drawn to elevated ketones, while Culex quinquefasciatus was attracted to skin microbiomes that featured certain bacterial families. "Isolating the components of human odor that attract or repel mosquitoes could lead to novel strategies to combat vector-borne diseases," adds DeGennaro.
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