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the journal Public Library of Science ONE
Anopheles gambiae
Ever wondered why mosquitoes eat some people up but leave others relatively unscathed? A new study finds that this preferential treatment is due to the smells produced by the microscopic critters that cover our bodies. The research is in the journal Public Library of Science ONE. To a mosquito, every human has a particular smell. And the differences are due in part to the particular bacteria on each individual's skin. The study tested the malaria-transmitting Anopheles gambiae mosquito's attraction to the odors of 50 adult men. The participants avoided items, such as garlic, that would change their natural smell. Researchers collected the male scents by rubbing glass beads on the bottom of each participant's foot, and swabbed the same skin for microbes. And they discovered that mosquitoes preferred the smell of skin with more abundant — but less diverse — bacterial communities. The scientists suggest that the diverse communities may include some microbes that produce compounds mosquitoes naturally dislike. If further research can identify these compounds, it could lead to the development of repellents to make bloodthirsty mosquitoes buzz off.
你是否也曾好奇為什么蚊子只對某些人比較偏愛？一項新的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)這種偏好是由于我們身體上的微生物散發(fā)出的氣味造成的。該研究已經發(fā)表在《公共圖書館科學ONE》雜志上。 對蚊子來講，每個人都有自己獨特的氣味。而這種個體差異，部分是由每個個體皮膚上攜帶的特殊細菌造成。 這項研究測試了50個成年人散發(fā)的氣味對攜帶并傳播瘧疾的按蚊的吸引力情況。參與受試的人要避免一些如大蒜之類的刺激性東西，以免影響他們的天然體味。 研究人員通過對受試者腳底部進行玻璃球摩擦接觸的方法來收集這些男性氣味，并且擦拭相同部位的皮膚以獲取相關微生物。后來他們發(fā)現(xiàn)蚊子偏好的氣味正來自于細菌群落較豐富的皮膚，但也并不是很多種類的細菌都有此效果。 科學家們建議，多種菌落中也許也包含某種微生物，它們可產生蚊子天生就厭惡的復合物。如果進一步進行相關研究確認這些化合物成分，將可以改進目前使用的驅蟲劑，便于人們驅趕嗜血的蚊子。