Discoveries

May 26, 2023

A Bug’s Choice

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Past studies have shown that mosquitoes are attracted to some humans because of their specific body odor.

But a new paper recently suggested that a person’s choice of soap can turn them into a “mosquito magnet,” the Wall Street Journal reported.

Scientists recently tested whether certain types of soaps can influence some people’s natural appeal to the bugs.

They picked four brands of soaps based on their popularity in the United States, including Dial Body Wash Marula Oil; Dove Deep Moisture Nourishing Body Wash; Simple Truth Organic Honey Blossom Baby Shampoo and Body Wash; and the Native Coconut & Vanilla Body Wash.

Four participants then washed one arm with a particular product and then wore nylon sleeves on both arms for an hour. In a lab, the researchers then released a mosquito species, Aedes aegypti, and monitored how many of them landed on each sleeve.

They noticed that three of the soaps – including the Dove brand – made the participants more attractive to bugs. Only one soap, Native Coconut & Vanilla Body Wash, did not attract the mosquitoes.

The team believes that three of the soaps contained chemicals that made the participants more appealing, while the Native brand had compounds associated with scents that seemed to be more repellent.

But they also noted that the degree to which a soap made a person more or less attractive varied. This suggests that the insects were also responding to the way the soap interacted with an individual’s natural odors.

While further research is needed, other researchers said the study could help develop improved mosquito baits and repellents, particularly against the Ae. aegypti.

The species is known to target people and spread deadly diseases, such as yellow fever and Zika viruses.

This story originally appeared in the May 26, 2023 newsletter, Swinging Politics.