Scientists discover natural ‘invisibility cloak’ against mosquitoes

Commercials for mosquito repellents tend to portray their product as acting like a force-shield that physically deflects them away from us. According to research presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society though, scientists have made a discovery that could produce something more akin to an 'invisibility cloak', preventing the little bloodsuckers from even knowing we're there.

"Repellents have been the mainstay for preventing mosquito bites," said Ulrich Bernier, the United States Department of Agriculture chemist that presented the research, according to a statement. "The most widely used repellant, DEET, is quite effective and has been in use for a long time. However, some people don’t like the feel or the smell of DEET. We are exploring a different approach, with substances that impair the mosquito’s sense of smell. If a mosquito can’t sense that dinner is ready, there will be no buzzing, no landing and no bite."

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The substance they've found is actually part of what makes up the natural scent that is produced by human skin. Our natural scent is made up of numerous different chemicals that all mix together in different amounts. Some come from our sweat. Some are produced by bacteria. If you've ever wondered why some people are more 'attractive' to mosquitoes while others are virtually ignored, it's the combination of these chemicals that determines that.

Testing these various chemicals by using a special split-screen cage setup in the lab, they exposed mosquitoes to them in an effort to see which attracted and which repelled.

Lactic acid that was the main thing that attracted the mosquitoes.

It was a group of compounds, one of which is the chemical called 1-methylpiperzine, that actually blocks the mosquitoes' sense of smell.

"If you put your hand in a cage of mosquitoes where we have released some of these inhibitors, almost all just sit on the back wall and don’t even recognize that the hand is in there. We call that anosmia or hyposmia, the inability to sense smells or a reduced ability to sense smells," Bernier said in the statement.

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Mosquitoes can be just an annoying pest, but they also spread some very dangerous and sometimes lethal diseases, like malaria, West Nile virus and dengue fever (and that's not even a complete list). According to the ACS statement, an estimated 1 million people worldwide die from mosquito-borne illnesses every year. Since this group of smell-blocking compounds appear to have a chemical structure that can be included in lotions and cosmetics, and even in clothing, this discovery could end up saving numerous lives.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images, Greg Allen/USDA-ARS)

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