Scientists have discovered that different mosquito species are attracted to distinct human scent signatures.
A person who attracts one mosquito species may be far less appealing to another. In a study involving 119 volunteers, researchers at Florida International University (FIU) found that three major disease-carrying mosquito species consistently preferred different people. Not a single participant was attractive to all three.
The findings, published in iScience, challenge the idea that some people are universally irresistible to mosquitoes. Instead, attraction appears to depend on how individual species detect the chemicals and microorganisms associated with human skin.
Different Mosquito Species Prefer Different Human Scents
The researchers examined three species responsible for spreading diseases such as dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and West Nile virus. Each responded to a different combination of biological signals.
Aedes aegypti, a mosquito that typically bites during the day, preferred people who wore no added fragrance and whose skin lacked certain volatile compounds. It also showed a slight preference for men. Another daytime feeder, Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito), was more attracted to people with elevated levels of ketones and plant-like chemicals naturally released by the skin.
Culex quinquefasciatus (southern house mosquito), which feeds after dark, responded more strongly to differences in the skin microbiome. This community of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms varies from person to person. Certain bacterial families were associated with increased mosquito attraction, while others appeared to discourage feeding.
Human Body Chemistry Helps Explain Mosquito Preferences
Human scent contains more than 1,000 volatile organic compounds, many of which remain poorly understood. To investigate which biological characteristics influence mosquito attraction, the scientists collected odor and skin microbiome samples alongside their preference tests.
Led by Ph.D. student Kaylee Marrero, the study was the first to directly compare how multiple mosquito species respond to the same individuals. The researchers had not anticipated such clear differences between species.
“We didn’t expect the species to prefer different people when we started the study,” Marrero said. “Each species having a distinct microbial signature that they use as a cue was so surprising to me.”
The results suggest that mosquitoes have evolved different ways of detecting and interpreting the complex chemical signals produced by human skin.
“This connected so well with the differences in skin bacteria and odors,” said Matthew DeGennaro, a neurogeneticist who leads the research team and directs the Biomolecular Sciences Institute at FIU. “It is clear to me now that our skin microbiomes define our human odor signature. Each species found its own way to decode that signature.”
Toward More Targeted Mosquito Repellents
Understanding which chemicals attract or discourage individual mosquito species could help researchers develop repellents designed to interfere with specific scent signals rather than relying on a universal approach.
“Isolating the components of human odor that attract or repel mosquitoes could lead to novel strategies to combat vector-borne diseases,” DeGennaro said.
By identifying the chemical compounds and microbial signatures associated with each species, the researchers are establishing a foundation for more targeted mosquito control. Future repellents could potentially be tailored to the species responsible for transmitting diseases in particular regions, although further research will be needed to translate these findings into effective protection.
Reference: “Individual humans are more attractive to certain mosquito species” by Kaylee M. Marrero, John S. Castillo, Dani Lucas-Barbosa, Anthony J. Bellantuono, Matthew A. Marrero, Dariel Cid, Andre L. Costa-da-Silva, Niels O. Verhulst and Matthew DeGennaro, 31 July 2026, iScience.
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.117006
Funding: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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