Burkina Faso, dengue fever and malaria are examples of dangerous diseases caused by mosquitoes. These wingless insects love to suck human blood. And did you know that mosquitoes prefer the blood of most beer drinkers?
Anopheles gambiae is the main carrier of malaria in Africa, because this mosquito prefers to suck human blood. Mosquitoes are attracted to different body odors including breath odor.
Because of the high cases of malaria in Africa, researchers from Australia conducted a study in Burkina Faso, West Africa.
Researchers conducted a study with a complex system of tubes, which direct the body odor 43 participants in the boxes so that mosquitoes can choose a favorite scent.
All participants are male sex between the ages of 20 to 43 years. Half of the participants were asked to drink a liter of beer 3 percent while the rest asked for a liter of water.
The study was conducted four times, namely before and after drinking beer and also before and after drinking water.
Was most liked by mosquitoes blood group of beer drinkers. Proven, 47 percent of mosquitoes like the blood of participants after drinking beer, compared with 37 percent before drinking beer. While at drinking water there were no significant differences, that is the same before and after drinking water by 37 percent.
"The consumption of beer increased mosquito proved increasingly attractive," writes Thierry Lefevre, head of research, in the online journal PLoS One, as quoted from Torontosun, Saturday (28/08/2010).
But Lefevre did not know why mosquitoes prefer to suck the blood of a beer drinker.
Mosquitoes attracted to the smell of carbon dioxide, but beer drinkers are no longer dispose of the gases after drinking. In addition, the mosquito also likes to body temperature, but beer also lowered body temperature several degrees.
"Metabolism of beer that could attract mosquitoes is still a mystery. But what is certain is that drinking beer could increase the risk of contracting malaria," said Lefevre.(mer/ir) detik.com
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