Do you stink? Mosquitoes find you irresistible

Picture this. You have finally secured a once in a lifetime date with a woman of your dreams. Date night is here and since you couldn’t beat traffic, you hurriedly connect to the five star establishment where you were ordered to present yourself; however there’s one glaring problem: The stinky liquid dripping from your underarms has has used up all the sweet smelling cologne you had washed yourself in hours earlier.

 When the wind wafts by, everyone looks your way. What more, mosquitoes won’t leave you alone.

For a moment, you think it’s because you are the closest to the balcony. But no, the insects are merely confirming your worst fears. Man, you stink.

Your body odour ends your date miserably with your ego on the rails. Meanwhile, whining mosquitoes and stubborn flies and anything else that flies add to your misery. Truth is, when the stink from your sweat pores disrupts normal life, experts say, you have a health problem.

 A study published by Plos One, a scientific journal, suggests that body odour, determined by our own genes, is the reason mosquitoes prefer certain individuals than others.

According to Dr Dunstan Mukoko of the ministry of health, body odour is the markers mosquitoes use to trail its meal.

“This means essentially that everybody (who sweats) attracts not only mosquitoes but other insects too,” he says.

Odour, he adds, is evoked by a combination of carbon dioxide (from the skin and the mouth), chemicals contained in sweat, and hormones contained in breath.

In an interview first carried by ABC News, Richard Pollack, an instructor at the Harvard School of Public Health said the insects are so adept at “figuring out where their target is by following these [smell] trails.”

The researchers responsible for the study are the first to make a genetic connection to the body odour. Studies carried out earlier have shown that a particular type [and amount of naturally occurring bacteria] on the skin may make people prime targets. The bacteria respire on the body’s excretory wastes, producing pungent effusions.

Suppressing the body’s smell using insect repellent or body sprays may not help as Mukoko says that the insects rely on even the slightest whiff to hone in on a victim. The best way therefore would be to stay indoors where the insects have no access.

CDC experts have explained that lactic acid in sweat is the main ingredient that mosquitoes seek. Many produce more lactic acid when they’re exercising; which explains why they tend to attract more mosquitoes during rigorous activities. But it is not only odour that attracts mosquitoes: heat and blood type have been linked to mosquito preferences. Smell is however the culprit with the largest Responsibility. You may need to take time scrubbing up in the bathroom... lest you be left on a date with mosquitoes all hunkering for your attention.