Scientists have developed a mosquito deterrent that contains no toxic chemicals and may be even more effective than existing bug sprays, Interesting Engineering reported. The active ingredient in the new mosquito repellent is a surprising one: human skin.
Mosquitoes are attracted to humans and other warm-blooded animals through a mix of carbon dioxide, body heat, and odors produced by skin bacteria. The researchers from the University of California, San Diego, and Stanford University used that final factor against the mosquitoes, engineering one type of skin bacteria to be less attractive to the insects. They turned that natural mosquito repellent into a substance that could be applied on skin (or, in the case of the experiment, mice).
The results of the experiment, published in the scientific journal PNAS Nexus, were very promising: The treatment reduced mosquito attraction by up to 64.4% starting three days after application. It also lasted for up to 11 days once it had taken effect.
Not only that, but the mosquitoes that did land on the mice with the engineered bacteria had a significantly lower chance of actually biting them.
This new technology, if it eventually makes it to market, would fill a real need. As global temperatures continue to rise, the conditions in which mosquitoes can thrive are becoming more widespread, causing their populations to rise and the diseases they carry to spread.
Existing mosquito repellents rely on toxic chemicals, which may be effective at killing or deterring mosquitoes but also come with a host of adverse environmental consequences.
The synthetic chemicals in bug spray are highly toxic to a wide variety of insects, not just mosquitoes, meaning that they kill crucial pollinators as well. This harms the health of the entire ecosystem.
Assuming the new skin bacteria treatment is deemed safe for human use, it could eventually provide relief from one of summer's most pernicious pests at no cost to the natural environment.
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