The Best Mosquito Repellent? Works for Over a Week

The answer may lie in genetically modified bacteria. Scientists have developed a mosquito bite repellent that works for up to 11 days.

The answer is on our skin

To understand how the newly developed agent works, you need to know what attracts female mosquitoes to us. Insects are attracted to the heat combined with carbon dioxide and the “aroma” of the body. – that’s why you’re less likely to get bitten after a bath, and more likely to get bitten after a workout. One of the compounds that attract mosquitoes is L-(+)-lactic acid, which is produced by bacteria that live on our skin.

Scientists came up with an original idea. Instead of adding a compound that repels mosquitoes, they decided to remove one of the compounds that attracts them. The experiment involved mice and genetically modified bacteria. S. epidermidis and C. amycolatumnaturally occurring on human skin. The modification consisted of a significant reduction in the ability of bacteria to produce lactic acid.

The effect is great. The mosquitoes bit the mice with the genetically modified bacteria much less often than the control group. Three days after the agent was applied, the insects landed on the skin of the mice with the experimental bacteria 22 to 50 percent less often, depending on the insect species. If they did land, they decided to bite less often. The agent provided protection for up to 11 days after application. Scientists concluded Effectiveness of protection against bites at the level of 66.4 percent.

This solution is therefore effective. Compared to the toxic DEET (diethyltoluamide), it is also much safer. And you don’t have to apply it every 4 hours to maintain protection.

Genetically modified bacteria can therefore be an excellent protection against annoying bites and diseases that are transmitted by mosquitoes: malaria, Zika virus and dengue fever. These diseases are rightly associated with the tropics, but due to climate warming they appear in an increasingly large area.