Zika, dengue viruses make victims smell better than mosquitoes
The viruses that cause Zika and dengue cannot pass from person to person on their own – they have to hitch a ride inside a mosquito. A new study suggests how they greet these rides: they make their victims smell more attractive to bloodsucking insects. It’s “a major breakthrough,” says mosquito neuroscientist Laura Duvall of Columbia University, who was not linked to the research. The work shows that “infection with these mosquito-borne viruses can alter the smell of some people … to make them more prone to being bitten.” A person may give off a different body odor when theyRead News
