Every mosquito has a type — and you may not be it. Why do mosquitoes seem to love some people while ignoring others? New research from Florida International University (FIU) shows there may be no such thing as a universal “mosquito magnet.” Dr. Matthew DeGennaro, director of FIU’s Biomolecular Sciences Institute and associate professor of biological sciences, explains research involving 119 people and three mosquito species: Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus. Researchers found that different mosquito species are attracted to different people based largely on skin bacteria, body odor and an individual’s unique chemical signature. The differences were striking. There was very little overlap among the people each mosquito species found highly attractive, and no participant was highly attractive—or minimally attractive—to all three species. In other words, mosquitoes really do have different preferences. Understanding how mosquitoes find people could also help ...