Scientists have figured out what has caused the irresistible attraction of mosquitoes to humans – Komsomolskaya Pravda in Ukraine

         Craving for human scent laid at bloodsuckers at the gene level.
     

 The smell of the human body helped transporting disease mosquitoes change their “diet.” Because of the special way of life of people moved from bloodsuckers feeding furry beasts to homo sapiens many thousands of years ago, new research suggests.

 Craving mosquito to smell the body, scientists have identified during the study of genes that are responsible for the “love” to the people, not animals.

 Leading Professor Leslie Vosskholl, Rockefeller University USA told why mosquitoes are so drawn to the people, the website “Mirror”.

 - This was a really nice evolutionary step. We have the perfect lifestyle for mosquitoes. We always have water nearby, so they can reproduce, we are “naked” and live in large groups … – said the researcher.

 To find out how and why some mosquitoes do not want to eat the blood of animals, the scientists decided to observe the different populations of bloodsuckers who live just a hundred meters from each other. The study of insects occurred in the village of Raba, that in Kenya.

 One group of black mosquito, called Aedes aegypti formosus, usually lay their eggs in the open air and fed wild animals. But they are light brown cousins, Aedes aegypti aegypti, which also spread yellow fever and dengue fever, bred in tanks with water and mainly prey on people.

 After analyzing the DNA of bloodsuckers, scientists have found that there are 14 genes responsible for a particular attraction to men, and their greatest activity found in antennkah brown mosquito. Among the genes most distinguished odor receptor called OR4.

 According to Professor Vosskholla, that he does pull the mosquito to human blood so strong. And the special food preferences in insects emerged during evolution thousands of years ago.

 In an earlier study it was found that people secrete a special smell, called sulcatone. After trying to put it on a laboratory guinea pig scientists have found that it has become much more “appetizing” for bloodsuckers.

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