Mosquitoes get more attracted to a chemical component found in butter, cheese, and yoghurt. Their deterrents might be a substance that exists in plants, including cannabis.
The crucial element in human body odor that may be particularly appealing to mosquitoes has been discovered by researchers, and the solution may be found in cheeses.
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute and School of Medicine collaborated with the Macha Research Trust in Zambia to determine which characteristics of certain human body odors are more enticing to mosquitos in a study published in Current Biology on Friday.
According to the study, the researchers employed a 20-meter by 20-meter screened cage containing hundreds of African malaria mosquitoes. According to CNN, which broke the story first, the mosquitos were not infested with malaria, despite their moniker.
There are eight one-person tents scattered around the site. These tents are linked to the cage in such a manner that human body odor may be supplied to the mosquitos securely.
Mosquitoes attracted to human body odor were found to have "increased relative abundances of the volatile carboxylic acids," including butyric acid. Butyric acid is a fatty acid that people create in their stomach, but it is also found naturally in butter, "hard cheeses" like parmesan, milk, yogurt, and cream, according to a separate research published in the National Library of Medicine. According to the study, the acid may also be present in fermented foods like sauerkraut and pickled cucumbers.
In contrast, mosquitos were less attracted to body odor devoid of carboxylic acids and "enriched with the monoterpenoid eucalyptol," according to the Johns Hopkins and Mach researchers. According to the American Chemical Society, eucalyptol is present in tea tree oil and cannabis sativa.
According to PubChem, the chemical is also often found in mouthwash and cough suppressants.