Prevent mosquito bites with this instead of strong mosquito repellent [Wow! Science]

Mosquitoes, which appear only during the summer, are not only bothersome pests but also unwelcome carriers of diseases.

 

Moreover, due to global warming, the activity period and habitat range of mosquitoes that transmit diseases like malaria are gradually increasing.

 

Therefore, countries around the world are developing new methods to eradicate mosquitoes.

 

Methods include releasing sterile mosquitoes to control their population or creating traps to catch mosquitoes before they bite, in order to combat mosquitoes that have developed resistance to insecticides and are difficult to kill.

 

Some scientists have proposed another method based on the idea that mosquitoes find their targets in the final stage through smell.

 

☆ It is about directly regulating the skin microbiome.

 

Mosquitoes recognize their targets from a distance by using the carbon dioxide and heat emitted by humans.

 

However, it is difficult to find skin that can safely draw blood based on this information alone.

 

Therefore, mosquitoes detect the scent coming from the skin to find a safe landing spot.

 

Here, skin microbes play an unexpectedly important role.

 

Mosquitoes are more sensitive to volatile substances produced by symbiotic microorganisms living on the skin rather than substances secreted by humans like sweat odor.

 

A research team led by Professor Omar Akbari at the University of California, San Diego, focused on microorganisms that produce L-(+) lactic acid, specifically Staphylococcus epidermidis and Corynebacterium amycolatum.

 

Because it is the substance that mosquitoes, which transmit diseases, are most sensitive to.

 

The research team removed the gene responsible for producing L-(+) lactic acid from this bacteria, then implanted it into the skin of mice, and exposed the mosquitoes, which can transmit the disease, to the mice for 10 minutes each day over three days to investigate the mosquitoes' preferences.

 

As a result, mice with genetically modified microorganisms that lack L-(+) lactic acid had a 64.4% reduced likelihood of being bitten by mosquitoes.

 

The research team conducted an additional two-week exposure to the Egyptian forest mosquito, which transmits yellow fever, dengue fever, and Zika virus, to investigate the duration of genetically modified microorganisms.

 

The results showed that the effect lasted for about 11 days.

 

 

 

DEET (N,N-Diethyl-m-toluamide), currently used as a mosquito repellent, is not only toxic but also loses its effectiveness significantly after just a few hours.

 

 

 

Of course, it is also not good for the environment.

 

The research team reports that microorganisms can be safer and longer-lasting mosquito repellents and is studying ways to apply this to real people.