科学60秒:勤洗澡，少被咬？

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the journal Public Library of Science ONE
Anopheles gambiae

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Ever wondered why mosquitoes eat some people up but leave others relatively unscathed? A new study finds that this preferential treatment is due to the smells produced by the microscopic critters that cover our bodies. The research is in the journal Public Library of Science ONE. To a mosquito, every human has a particular smell. And the differences are due in part to the particular bacteria on each individual's skin.
The study tested the malaria-transmitting Anopheles gambiae mosquito's attraction to the odors of 50 adult men. The participants avoided items, such as garlic, that would change their natural smell.
Researchers collected the male scents by rubbing glass beads on the bottom of each participant's foot, and swabbed the same skin for microbes. And they discovered that mosquitoes preferred the smell of skin with more abundant — but less diverse — bacterial communities.
The scientists suggest that the diverse communities may include some microbes that produce compounds mosquitoes naturally dislike. If further research can identify these compounds, it could lead to the development of repellents to make bloodthirsty mosquitoes buzz off.你是否也曾好奇为什么蚊子只对某些人比较偏爱？一项新的研究发现这种偏好是由于我们身体上的微生物散发出的气味造成的。该研究已经发表在《公共图书馆科学ONE》杂志上。
对蚊子来讲，每个人都有自己独特的气味。而这种个体差异，部分是由每个个体皮肤上携带的特殊细菌造成。
这项研究测试了50个成年人散发的气味对携带并传播疟疾的按蚊的吸引力情况。参与受试的人要避免一些如大蒜之类的刺激性东西，以免影响他们的天然体味。
研究人员通过对受试者脚底部进行玻璃球摩擦接触的方法来收集这些男性气味，并且擦拭相同部位的皮肤以获取相关微生物。后来他们发现蚊子偏好的气味正来自于细菌群落较丰富的皮肤，但也并不是很多种类的细菌都有此效果。
科学家们建议，多种菌落中也许也包含某种微生物，它们可产生蚊子天生就厌恶的复合物。如果进一步进行相关研究确认这些化合物成分，将可以改进目前使用的驱虫剂，便于人们驱赶嗜血的蚊子。