Different types of mosquito may be attracted to different individuals, a new study suggests, as it explores the response of three disease-carrying mosquitoes to human odours.
Researchers tested samples from 119 people in Miami, Florida, using the yellow-fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti), Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) and southern house mosquito (Culex quinquefasciatus).
Mosquitoes employ a range of cues, including carbon dioxide, body odour, heat, humidity and visual cues, to find potential hosts. Human scent consists of hundreds of volatile chemical compounds, some of which are produced or modified by microorganisms that colonise the skin.
The scientists discovered that some people were highly attractive to more than one mosquito species. But none of the participants ranked among the most attractive in all three species.
That means that someone who is very attractive to one species may not be as attractive to another.
“We didn’t go into the study expecting the species to like different people,” said Kaylee Marrero, the study’s lead author, in a Florida International University press release. The differences in the microbial signals associated with each mosquito species were unexpected, she said.
The researchers also found differences in the chemical and microbial traits associated with attraction.
The yellow-fever mosquito showed a slight preference for male participants and was associated with particular combinations of volatile compounds and skin bacteria. The Asian tiger mosquito was associated with elevated levels of some ketones and plant-like volatile compounds emitted naturally by the skin.
Features of the microbial community that lives on human skin were linked to the southern house mosquito, which typically bites at night.
The results add to the growing evidence that host-seeking behaviour of mosquitoes is affected by complex chemical cues, not a single characteristic of an individual.
What the findings could mean for controlling disease
Understanding why mosquitoes prefer some people to others could eventually help scientists develop more targeted ways to reduce mosquito bites and disease transmission.
The three species studied are capable of transmitting different pathogens. For example, Aedes aegypti is a known vector for dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya and Zika viruses, and Aedes albopictus is able to transmit dengue and chikungunya viruses.
The Florida International University research team is led by neurogeneticist Matthew DeGennaro, who said that identifying components of human odour that attract or repel mosquitoes may one day result in new ways to control mosquito-borne diseases.
But it doesn't mean that someone found highly attractive in the lab will get bitten by more mosquitoes than someone else in the real world.
In laboratory experiments, factors such as mosquito species, environmental conditions and exposure can be controlled. Real-world mosquito behaviour is influenced by temperature, humidity, wind, habitat, time of day and the presence of other potential hosts.
The researchers say further field studies will be needed to determine how closely the laboratory results correspond to actual biting behaviour.
These findings may be particularly relevant as mosquito species spread into new areas. In June 2026, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control announced that Aedes albopictus had been established in 384 administrative units in 16 EU/EEA countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.
Aedes aegypti has a much more limited distribution in Europe. In April 2026, ECDC reported that the species was established in Cyprus (EU/EEA) and in several EU outermost regions.
So the study provides a potential new avenue for understanding mosquito-human interactions, but more research will be needed before the findings can be translated into practical mosquito-control strategies.
