Some people are really never bitten by mosquitoes! [research]

The Dhaka Times Desk If you can sleep without clapping your hands while you're outside on a summer night, you know you're done with mosquito bites. Also, what can happen is that these flying insects do not love to bite you. The funny thing is that there are some people who really don't get bitten by mosquitoes.

In last Wednesday's TED Talk in Vancouver, Germany, microbial ecologist Rob Knight explained why some people don't get bitten by mosquitoes. He said the bacteria or germs on our skin produce chemicals in the body that attract mosquitoes. Scientists say that the number of bacteria or germs in our body is not millions or billions but trillions (1000 billion equals 1 trillion). Rob Knight says about 100 billion bacteria live in the body, some of which contribute to the odor of sweat or various skin odors. This means that without these bacteria, our skin will not smell and therefore mosquitoes will not be able to bite. Knight also explains that one person's DNA can match up to 99.91 TP3T to another person's DNA, but that match with a single organism can't be more than 10%.

Forty-eight adult male volunteers were selected to examine the extent of this attraction of mosquitoes to the skin. They were then abstained from alcohol, garlic, spicy food and bathing for two days. They wore nylon socks for 24 hours to isolate the germs from their bodies. The researchers then used a trap made of liquid glass, similar to the sweat generated on the volunteers' feet, as bait to attract mosquitoes.

9 out of 48 mosquitoes are more attracted to the smell of human skin. Mosquitoes stay away from the smell of seven people i.e. they are not bitten by mosquitoes. Researchers found that the skin of people with high odor sensitivity had 2.62 times more odor-absorbing bacteria than normal skin. It is about 3.11 times higher than that of less absorbing skin. Researchers say some people's skin is naturally deodorant. which attracts more number of mosquitoes. The interesting fact is that mosquitoes are more attracted to the skin of people who drink more beer.

Read more about mosquitoes:  Become invisible to avoid mosquito bites

Mosquitoes are responsible for some of the worst epidemic diseases in the world like dengue, malaria, filariasis. About 20 to 30 million people die each year due to mosquito-borne diseases.

Reference: BusinessInsider