If mosquitoes get attracted to your brother, chances are
they would choose you among the many for the next bite—for the likelihood of
being bitten by mosquitoes could be due to our genes, says a recent study
carried out on twins. Whether
mosquitoes would find you attractive to bite or not depends a lot on the type
of your body odour controlled by genes, the findings showed.
People who are less attractive to mosquitoes produce natural
repellents and, according to the study, this trait could be genetically
controlled. “If we
understand the genetic basis for variation between individuals it could be
possible to develop bespoke ways to control mosquitoes better, and develop new
ways to repel them,” said senior study author James Logan, senior lecturer at
the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
“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,” Logan
noted. A series
of trials using 18 identical and 19 non-identical female twins showed that
identical twin pairs were more similar in attractiveness to mosquitoes than
non-identical twin pairs.
The
extent to which genes play a part—the level of heritability—in the trait for
being attractive or not to mosquitoes was found to be at a similar level as
that associated with height and IQ.
In
the experiment, the dengue mosquitoes Aedes aegypti were released into a
Y-shaped tube which divides into two sections. They were allowed to fly down
either side towards the odour from the study participants’ hands to see which
twin they were most attracted to.
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