New studies have shown that certain people who have had malaria parasite are secreting an odor that is only visible to mosquitoes. It is the main reason as to why more mosquitoes are going after them; they are lured by this smell.
New York Times has reported that Swedish researchers have found out that a specific substance is released from people that are infected with Malaria. The unique smell is released in the bloodstream of a person infected by malaria parasite; it then mixes with the person's blood cells. The aroma it creates is very appealing to mosquitoes.
According to Phys, the researchers at Stockholm University reported Thursday in the journal Science the result of their study. They have experimented hundreds of mosquitoes to find out whether they are really attracted to the blood of a malaria parasite infected person. The mosquitoes have two choices, regular blood and malaria parasite infected blood, and true enough, 95% of the mosquitoes went straight to the malaria parasite infected blood. "They all started eating very vigorously," said one of the researchers, Noushin Emami. She added that the mosquitoes have consumed more blood and it was also faster.
Other researchers and scientists who are also studying malaria parasites are very intrigued about the outcome of the experiment. They added that it needs to be tested beyond the lab. "It's really important to consider all the cues mosquitoes might respond to," said James Logan of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
According to him, there are other factors that affect het behavior of the mosquitoes. There is the temperature, moisture and heat. Thorough investigation and study about the correlation of malaria parasite, mosquitoes and the human beings will definitely bring more light to malaria.
Further studies say it might be possible to make artificial versions of the mosquito-attracting fragrance that will lure the mosquitoes. They will use it to completely get rid of the insects, said Alvaro Acosta Serrano, a parasitologist at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
Since malaria kills about 429,000 people every year, mostly children in Africa, it needs to be stopped. Scientists, doctors and researchers are finding more and more new ways for it to happen.
