A new study focuses on sets of twins
If you’re always getting mosquito bites, you may be able to
blame your genes, a new study suggests.
To understand whether the traits that make a person more or
less attractive to mosquitoes are genetic—odors for instance—researchers
conducted a study looking at 18 sets of identical twins and 19 sets of
non-identical twins. Their findings were published in the journal PLOS ONE.
The researchers released mosquitoes into a Y shaped tube
that allowed the mosquito pick a side to fly down. The twins’ hands were at
either end of the tube (see photo). If the mosquitoes were attracted to the
hands’ odor, they would fly toward them and if they were repelled by the hands
they would fly away from them.
Interestingly, identical twins were more similar in the
level of attractiveness to mosquitoes than non-identical twins, which the
researchers suggest could mean that genes play a role. It’s possible that
identical twins have very similar odors since they are genetically exactly the
same.
Though the sample size is small, the researchers say the
findings have implications for future mosquito bite prevention. “By
investigating the genetic mechanism behind attractiveness to biting insects
such as mosquitoes we can move closer to using this knowledge for better ways
of keeping us safe from bites and the diseases insects can spread through
bites,” said study author James Logan, a senior lecturer at the London School
of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, in a statement. “In the future we may even
be able to take a pill which will enhance the production of natural repellents
by the body and ultimately replace skin lotions.”
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