Why do mosquitoes bite some people more than others?
- asks Allison from Austin
Meredith Knight • September 10, 2007
![Credit: [Oxbow Park Naturalization Project].](https://scienceline.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/mosquito.jpg)
Credit: [Oxbow Park Naturalization Project].
Every summer, they come. They sneak through the windows and ravage your ankles; they find the one spot on your left shoulder that didn’t get drenched in a layer of DEET (God bless you, Deep Woods Off!) and gnaw, chomp, and suck away.
From May to September, many of us – covered in scars and bloody scabs, the remnants of these bites now gone bad – live side-by-side with people who, despite living in the same house and even sleeping in the same bed, are seemingly less vulnerable to the vicious six-legged predators. It turns out, a mosquito’s snacking preference for one person over another is not just a curious annoyance, it’s also a medical concern: Since malaria and other diseases are transmitted by bites, people who get bitten a lot are more likely to become ill. Because of this, researchers are working to find the mechanisms in mosquitoes that cause them to sniff out you, and not your neighbor.
Scientists have identified several proteins found in mosquitoes’ antennae and heads that latch on to chemical markers, or odorants, emitted from our skin. These markers are produced by the natural processes of our bodies and, like neon signs, they let the mosquitoes’ smell center know you’re around (though the process that then guides them to you is not well understood). Flies and mosquitoes share a number of the same genes that dictate production of these odorant-binding proteins, which have specific sites that will catch or bind with certain chemicals in the air. Some scientists suggest that certain characteristics attract mosquitoes, thereby leading us to have more bites than others. Some of the top candidates: the amount of carbon dioxide in the breath, pregnancy, body temperature, alcohol and odorant markers based on blood type.
Blood-type markers are chemicals released by people of a specific blood type – so if someone with AB blood emitted a marker, it would be different than that released by B. One study found persons with Type O blood suffered more mosquito landings because of the odorant markers they emit than any other blood type, making their juices a hot commodity for blood banks, as well as Asian Tiger Mosquitoes, which carry West Nile Virus. Not only were Type O’s more likely to be landed on, but the study found that for any blood type, people who secreted a chemical marker about their blood type through their skin (both blood type and secretor status are determined by genes) were bitten much more than non-secretors; 24 percent in the case of the Type O’s. Other researchers estimate about 15 percent of the population, based on their genes, don’t emit chemical markers of their blood type through their skin and saliva, so something else has to be calling the mosquitoes to them.
Pregnancy seems to be a big winner for mosquito attraction, probably because mothers-to-be exhale 21 percent more carbon dioxide (quite a turn-on to the six-legged species) and are on average 1.26 degrees Fahrenheit warmer around the belly than their non-pregnant counterparts, due to the temperature of amniotic fluid. Also, having just 12 ounces of beer increases your mosquito appeal, possibly because of the increase in body temperature it causes or because skin markers change when metabolizing cocktails – unfortunate since outdoor drinking is a highlight of summer anywhere.
One researcher suggested smell is unimportant, and what really matters to the mosquito currently chomping on your toe is not the smells you’re giving off, rather it’s finishing her meal without being swatted away. Because of this, she’s better off attacking “less defensive” animals, rather than more defensive, and so is evolutionarily predisposed to biting lazy or incapacitated prey (reference drinking above).
Infectious disease experts are anxious to solve the mosquito preference puzzle so they can design repellants tailored to vulnerable people, which would either block an individual’s smell signatures or disarm a mosquito’s scent receptors. Unfortunately, a specific answer to your skin-piercing question continues to itch away at scientists, and I suggest stocking up on bug repellant in the meantime.
409 Comments
Hi, not sure what blood type I am but my girlfriend gets bitten to Hel and I have never been bitten EVER, we sleep in the same room, bed, tent what ever, I have just watched a mosquito land on me and furiously try to bite me, then it gave up. Maybe it’s nothing to do with blood type bit skin type as a don’t have any mark what so ever, I guess I’m just lucky, sorry guys.
And also wouldn’t the mosquito have to bite you to find out what blood type you were, if you didn’t taste nice wouldn’t you still have a lump from the bite, makes me think it’s about skin type more than smell and blood type as one tried it’s best on me and I didn’t have a mark what so ever. But what do I know, I’m just a plumber.
the reason cause of mosquitoes biting us not only related with blood group… please read the article fully again… body temperature, carbon dioxide, blood group o… this is extra information i get from other articles Mosquitoes are attracted to dark colours, not only black, because dark colours absorb heat and lighter colours tend to reflect heat. Since mosquitoes have sophisticated and highly sensitive heat sensors, they tend to be more attracted to victims dressed in darker clothes, where there is more heat.
Bob, a fisherman, takes one vitamin B-1 tablet a day
April through October . He said it works. He was right.
Hasn’t had a mosquito bite in 33 years. Try it.
Every one he has talked into trying it works on them.
Vitamin B-1( Thiamin Hydrochloride 100 mg.)
If you eat bananas,
the mosquitoes like you, – something about the banana oil
as your body processes it.
Stop eating bananas for the summer and the mosquitoes
will be much less interested.
This is going to floor you, but one of the best
insect repellents someone found (who is in the woods
every day), is Vick’s Vaporub.
Plant marigolds around the yard, the flowers give off
a smell that bugs do not like,
so plant some in that garden also to help ward
off bugs without using insecticides.
“Tough guy” Marines who spend a great deal of time
“camping out” say that the very best mosquito
repellant you can use is
Avon Skin-So-Soft bath oil mixed about
half and half with alcohol.
Why do I get a heck of a lot more bites than my twin sister, same genes, same blood type O+ ???
It only started this year. I had 17 bites one time. I cannot go outside any time of day/night even for 10 minutes and I get a bite. My husband gets none. I am B blood type. After reading this. I do eat a lot of sweets and have been eating more fruits and vegetables. I just started drinking tea with honey in it in May. I believe the honey and or tea might be a factor.
I am B and used to alwasy get bit. I started drinking Vitamin B and I don’t. I just read it hasn’t been proven that vitamin b helps, but every time I do outdoores with mosquito infected places, it does seem to repel them. If I forget, then I seem to attract most, which other humans around actually enjoy. Maybe it is a placebo, but then my idea of being less attractive to them seems to work by itself.
Try using Listerine mouthwash. Put it in a spray bottle and spray any area that’s exposed.
I do get bitten. I have watched mosquitos and other insects bite me. I am o+ but do not get bitten as often as other people. I also do not react to mosquito bites at all. I am trying to understand the cause. My daughter is 10 months old and gets bitten several times a day. I didn’t really pay attention to mosquitos until now. I have to check the house several times a day to make sure no mosquitos have gotten in. Unfortunately I live near the water and they are out like crazy.
My blood type is O. Mosquitoes love me. I swim laps every night and I wear a bathing cap and goggles and they still hover over me. If I swim back stroke they bite my forehead. I don’t spray anything on my skin and I am mostly a vegetarian. Help . It’s not fun.
My husband is type O, he gives off a lot of heat, sweat smells differently, maybe toxic sweat, perhaps this is what repel insect bites for him. He is Caucasian with sensitive skin and pale. He drinks more than I but perhaps a few beers a week or daily. I hardly drink beer or other alcohol. Neither of us smoke. I’m type B blood of Asian descent. My body temperature is on the cool side. I am very sensitive to insect bites and get bit a lot. Do you think mosquitoes are attracted to the health of a person’s blood?
I dont believe the blood type theory but as far as the body temperature I would agree its partly responsible.Mozzies need protein and iron from you to feed the eggs so if you have more of these in your blood then you are a more favourible choice for food.
I have a common genetic condition called Hemochromatosis
that is hereditory and means my liver lacks the enzyme to stop my body absorbing Iron and this makes me a sitting duck everywhere I go
i dont know my blood type, but from what i’ve read here i don’t think it’s got anything to do with being bitten. I’m suffering here, in greece, covered in bites, swellings and reactions….i hate mosquitoes …make them extinct…the only positive thing is i now know i’m not alone in this hell…oh and of course i’ve tried everything from the foul deet sprays to citronella, you name it, garlic, b vitamins…plug in equipment…coils…and all at the same time too…i wear socks sprayed in deet and jeans and shoes and STILL get bitten on the ankles! nothing works…i want to find a way to kill them as painfully as possible.
I am type A- & I get eaten ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not sure if the type O theory is certain.
I’m White Caucasian, o+ and seem to be bitten more than most.
It various with where I am however- in Delhi I bought a local repellant , Odomos, which worked a treat. Avon skin-so-soft and/or Deet worked v well for me in Tanzania and Rwanda, but not in Malaysia and Singapore…
Pesky mozzies see me as a mobile buffet! I’ve just had a family holiday in Italy and I was the only one out of 5 of us who got bitten even though I was plastered in repellant. Out of about 25 bites maybe 3 or 4 came up in huge 3 inch round lumps. The rest are like large blisters. I look like I have a nasty disease! Rather oddly, my 15yo niece had a mozzie land on her arm, it bit her then dropped dead!! I may donate her to medical research on behalf of my fellow sufferers. I am type B- and have slow clotting blood (I am described at the blood bank as ‘a persistant bleeder’!?!?). I’m a moderate drinker and have a average body temp of about 98.2. I feel the heat a lot more than the rest of my family, so maybe body temp is a factor.
Anyone else notice a good portion of the idiots who made claims of “well, I’m an O and never get bit” or “my family is this, and always get bit” — seemed to all miss a KEY POINT of the article. It’s not ONLY whether you’re an O or an A, but is also effected by if you are a SECRETER or not!!! If you don’t secrete your blood-type through your skin and breath, then at least in those cases, it’s not your blood-type attracting the mosquitoes! (Scientists can be so silly sometimes — in the cases of those who are non-secreter who aren’t getting bit, are they possibly putting out another ‘smell’ or signal (like temp?) that is attracting them?) You can find out if you are a secreter with a very simple test that swabs your spit.
I find the whole conversation fascinating. I have a room mate who follows Dr. Dadamo’s “Blood Type” diet. It makes a lot of sense if you figure man and mosquitoes would have developed along the same evolutionary paths — as part of predator/prey. Those with the younger blood-types who don’t secret may have found an evolutionary way to reduce bites and the infections the biters carry.
well, i wish someone would find a cure before i get some deadly disease or something! This whole topic is fascinating- and by the way whoever made this website…it’s embarrising how you put a crane fly on here, however, i think i am AB possitive and i get bit ALL THE TIME! And not only do i get around 10-12- or more! I get them swollen sometimes too( and i mean huge ) Questions…i would like to know is the mosquito prehistoricly old? has it evolved? AND what’s the best reppelant you can recommend for me??? Note: i am a runner, cold hands, and active person:) TRUST ME DOC! I NEED HELP!
I am B+ and mosquitos prefer me over my husband who is type O and rarely gets bitten. I saturate myself with OFF, reapply it frequently, and still get bit. This has puzzled me for years. It make me feel alot better knowing that scientist are just as puzzled as me.
It´s end of October in Germany, we´ve had the first frost and I´m still sleeping under a mosquito net, because the suckers will find and bite eyelids, temples, cheekbones and fingers exposed under the blankets. I´m B+, my husband is A+ and they ignore him completely. We eat the same diet and are both fair skinned. My brother´s family uses my nephew as mosquito repellant, when he´s around they don´t get bitten.
I have noticed that bathing the bites in Lugol´s iodine solution reduces the swelling immediately and keeps the itching at bay for 8 to 12 hours, when I reapply the iodine. No more welts and no more bleeding sores for me, and the bites fade away within 48 hours, but I wish I could repel them like my husband.
My mother always used to be plagued by mosquitoes until this year, when for some reason after 85 years of being bitten, she seems immune.
Thanks to all who posted remedies. By the way, the Lugol´s stops acne in its tracks, too.
Let me throw a monkey wrench into the blood type theory. When I was a kid I was bitten mercilessly. The older I got, the less I seemed to attract mosquitoes. While to the best of my knowledge my blood type hasn’t changed, I no longer get bitten. They will sometimes land on me, but rarely bite, and when, on the off chance, they do, I don’t get the itchy welts from them. I always like to say my body built up a tolerance, or started creating some repelling scent or maybe it was the change in hormones that come with age. Any ideas?
I am B+ and I about everyday get at least 7 mosquitoes bites each day at home. My mum and bro is O and my dad is B+. And i am the only one get bitten by mosquitoes everyday that I’m bitten by mosquitoes.
I’m a B-, and so is my friend. We both always get a tremendous amount of mosquito bites all the time, and no one else gets bitten but us…
So isn’t it B- that attracts mosquitoes more???
I managed to get 68 bites on my legs over the course of a 3 hour period! Most people only got a few or even none! Not sure what my blood type is, but nevertheless I’m sure I wasn’t the only person out of the bunch of 40 people with my type.
COULD THERE BE A RELATIONSHIP OF THE BITES AND THE RHESUS FACTOR?
Well I am an AB- blood type and even when with people who are O blood type I am ALWAYS the first to get bitten and also have local reactions to the bites.
I wonder as to why the size of the mosquito bite varies.
Does it depend on the species of the mosquito or is it the amount of time it spends sucking on you’re blood?
The illustration is not a biting(female)mosquito, if it’s a mosquito at all; it looks like a crane fly to me.
My husband and I are both O+; bugs like him a whole lot more than they like me.
I have O+ blood and rarely get bitten, while my mom & sister (both A+), get eaten alive!
Both my wife and I are A+. She never gets bitten, whereas I am every mosquito’s favourite – so kiss the blood type theory goodbye! Attraction could have something to do with temperature, but they seem to find me even when I am on not hot and sweaty. So more likely the “fatal attraction” is associated with chemical markers (odours) emitted by the body – confirmed by some recent website articles.
Give me evidence and repeatable tests.
I’m A Negative blood type, I’m allergic to mosquito bites, the first time I went camping I was rushed to the ER and the people thought my parents beat me, I’ve had my eyes swell shut. All starting from when I can remember, I don’t think it is specific to RH or blood type, they just like blood, certain smells and colors. Some moreso then others.
DAMNNNN….!!!i am related to o+ but i was always bitten by mosquitoes
I live in Florida, but I used to get bitten a lot when I lived in New York also (but not as much). Type 0 blood. I get bitten a lot in my car. Almost all of the bites are on my right foot — the one I use on the gas peddle. Perhaps there is something to idea that they bite you where/when you can’t defend yourself. Also, around my ankles is about the only place exposed because where I teach is absolutely freezing and I wear long skirts and slacks with my arms covered all the time.
I hope they resolved this issue!
im very curious because my blood type is O- and they do not bite me at all my friends and family have to go out wearing the bug spray in our mosquito infested florid back yards and i never have to and never get bitten. i used to when i was little but i cant tell you the last time i was bitten. was wondering if it could be and underlying thing and maybe not just based on blood type. we’ve tested it not one lands on me. even when i was pregnant with my daughter not one bite. can anyone help me understand why. not that i would rather them bite me just wondering why I’m different.
Mosquito bites to nurture its coming generation.For this reason they do need blood,so they do search for it . Naturally we are bitten by them, whether O or any blood type.I am now sitting with my room mate , he says he is more prone to it and he is AB+ but I am 0+ and say that I do also get bitten by it frequently.
Mosquito wants blood , so it uses many ways to find it. Here we have to search the ways to escape out of it.
I am blood Arh positive and get eaten all the time,mosquitos,black lfies u name them while my husband is type 0 and we can sit side by side on the deck..he never gets bitten but i have to go inside or be devoured..I am sick of insects.
I am a Blood Type O and I don’t get mosquito bites at all. Does that mean I don’t give off those scent of Proteins? Is that a good thing for me for not giving off those scent of proteins or is that bad?
i m blood type B+, i always get bitten by mosquitoes, even i cant sleep well bcoz of mosquitoes
that was awesome , i live Trinidad and in here mosquitoes are always biting your ears ,shoulders,back,neck or under your feet. This will be useful
I HAVE not got a mosquitoes bite. ONLY WHEN I WAS 4 OR 5. It was very pain full i got 1 i was screaming. So when it was hallowen my mom gave me cotten candy. I was happy when hallowen was over. I had moquitoes bites it was small but it hurts.Iwas going to school and it was itchy but i avoid it. so. When it was my birthday i turened 6 i think so who care back the real thing.
I am A+ too and genetally get eaten alive, so I have concocted up my own insect repellent which works well. I have a bottle of almond oil ,mixed with natural citronella, it stops these friendly loving critters from biting. the smell of the therapeutic oil and almond tends to get their little legs or beeks stuck that’s if they get that close. The citronella always makes me feel on holiday now when start mixing it up :-)
I was wondering why I got bitten so often, while others around me didn’t. I guess it’s due to my blood type being O. Dammit :(
I have just returned from a week in France where I was bitten countless times, all over my body including my face. My blood type is AB+. My husband and children were not bitten at all. I don’t drink or smoke, I did spend a lot of time moving about. I had repellant on and burned a citronella candle in the evening, they still got me in my sleep though.
I have been wishing for the answer to mosquito bites for years. I’m not sure this article helps much. I am blood type B-, don’t drink, not preg etc. but mosquitos like me more that anyone I have ever heard of. On an outing once, the other members of my group had a bite or two and I was literally covered, I had hundreds or even thousands of bites. Covered from head to toe as bad as chickenpox. Five min outside is enough for me to receive a dozen bites, even after dousing myself with strong DEET. Please find a real answer to this question!
That is not a picture of a Mosquito, it’s a Crane Fly.
I never get bitten by mosquitoes. I am 1/16th Choctaw Indian, and my grandfather that was 1/4th Choctaw always told me that mosquitoes didn’t like Indian blood. My blood is also type AB. I’m sure the Indian thing is just an old wives tale (or Indian tale), but that’s what I always tell everyone on the 4th of July (when out watching fireworks) and they are fighting off mosquitoes, and they’re not anywhere near me! I’m 65 yrs old and only been bit about 4 or 5 times in my life!
The picture looks like a May Fly to me. Any way I’m type O positive and I’m one of the unfortunates that get bitten by mosquitos like there is no tomorrow. Actually I just discover that the black flies from the NY love me too and those bites HURT!!! I would pay big money to change this mosquito problem
Its funny that no one has noticed the photo of the mosquito looks alot more like a Crane Fly or otherwise known as “mosquito eater” where I grew up. Kind of a hilarious mistake I think.
Haha too funny I read at least half the comments and scrolled to the bottom to post my comment only to notice that I missed the previous posts noting the mistake.
I am type O positive. I always get bit by mosquito’s, while other seem to not get bitten. My body temperature is always warm and I always sweat all over my body, so I believe this is why I get bitten so much. I get bitten, even with repellent on. My bites swell up and itch like crazy for days. I was told by a friend of mine that he and his son use to get bite all the time. They started taking vitamin B daily and now never get bit. I was trying to find out about this, that’s how I ran across this web site. Does anyone no if the vitamin B consumption is true for stopping mosquito’s from bitting?