Some swear they're cursed to be hunted by mosquitoes while their close-by companions are regularly left unscathed. But is this an illusion? If it's not, what's going on? And what can we do about it?
有些人笃定他们特别招蚊子咬，而他们身边的同伴却总是安然无恙，是因为受到了诅咒。但这是一种错觉吗？如果不是，究竟是怎么回事？我们又能做些什么呢？

It all comes down to how— and why— mosquitoes find us. While male mosquitoes stick to nectar for sustenance, females also seek out blood to provide the nutrients they need for their eggs. Different mosquito species evolved to feed on different animals. And, probably within the last 10,000 years, multiple mosquito lineages independently evolved a predilection for people. As human settlements became more permanent, they provided plenty of standing water, even through intense dry seasons, which supported mosquito reproduction year-round.
这一切都归结于蚊子是如何，以及为什么找到我们的。雄性蚊子靠吸食花蜜来维持生存，而雌性蚊子则寻找血液以提供卵发育所需的营养。不同种类的蚊子进化成以不同的动物血液为食。而且，大概在过去的一万年里，多个蚊子品系独立进化出了对人类的偏爱。随着人类居住地变得越来越固定，它们为蚊子生存提供了大量的积水，即使在干旱季节也不例外，这支持了蚊子全年的繁殖。

Female mosquitoes are equipped with antennae covered in hair-like appendages that contain odor-sensing receptors and neurons. These pick up on the signals of their preferred hosts, And over thousands of years, the mosquitoes that target humans have gotten extremely good at tracking us down. They also target parts of our bodies where we're less likely to notice them. And they're sensitive to visual cues and changes in airflow, so when we try to defend ourselves, they can make swift escapes. They even learn to avoid particularly defensive people altogether.
雌性蚊子的触角上覆盖着毛发状的附器，其中含有气味感应器和神经元。它们会捕捉其偏好宿主的信号，数千年来，以人类为目标的蚊子已经非常擅长追踪我们。它们还瞄准了我们 我们不太可能注意到的身体部位。它们对视觉线索和气流变化很敏感，所以当我们试图自卫时，它们能迅速逃脱。它们甚至能学会完全避开防御性特别强的人。

But before these close encounters happen, several factors alert mosquitoes to people's presence. Female mosquitoes can pick up on the carbon dioxide humans constantly exhale from about 10 meters away. Once they've gotten the CO2 cue, they become especially interested in dark, high-contrast objects and the hues found in human skin. As they follow the carbon dioxide plume to its source, they eventually sense body heat and odors. These smells are generated by the many microorganisms that live on our skin. They break down the secretions our bodies produce, like sweat and sebum.
但在这些亲密接触发生之前，有几个因素会提醒蚊子注意人类的存在。雌蚊可以在大约10米外捕捉到人类不断呼出的二氧化碳。一旦它们感知到二氧化碳，它们就会对深色、高对比度的物体和人类肤色特别感兴趣。当它们跟随一缕二氧化碳到达其源头后，最终会感知到体温和气味。这些气味是由生活在我们皮肤上的许多微生物产生的，它们会分解我们身体产生的分泌物，如汗水和皮脂。

In doing so, our skin microbes create smaller organic compounds that can vaporize and get picked up as smells— smells that human-homing mosquitoes are especially attuned to. Getting extra sweaty can temporarily make people more attractive to mosquitoes— as can ingesting alcohol or being pregnant. And the Plasmodium parasite that causes malaria makes the people it infects more appealing to mosquitoes by increasing the amounts of certain fruit-smelling aldehyde compounds on their skin. This is extremely helpful to the parasite because it depends on both humans and mosquitoes to reproduce.
在此过程中，我们皮肤上的微生物会产生较小的有机化合物，这些化合物会蒸发并散发出气味，而寄食人类的蚊子对这些气味特别敏感。出汗多会暂时使人对蚊子更有吸引力，摄入酒精或怀孕也是如此。而引发疟疾的疟原虫会通过增加皮肤上某些果香的醛类化合物含量，提升感染者对蚊子的吸引力。这对寄生虫非常有帮助，因为它的繁殖既要依靠人类，也要依靠蚊子。

But in addition to these temporary factors, about 20% of people are thought to be naturally high attractors, or mosquito magnets, who are disproportionately targeted year after year. If you're one of them, you're probably well aware. Sorry about that. Why this is seems to come down to some skin-specific characteristics. While carbon dioxide exhalations and body heat consistently signal the presence of warm-blooded animals, human body odor is more distinctive. And everyone hosts different microbial communities on their skin, which contribute to unique body odors that likewise vary from person to person.
除了这些暂时性因素之外，大约有20%的人被认为是天生的高吸引力者，或者说是吸蚊磁铁，他们常年大比例地成为蚊子攻击的目标。如果你是其中之一，你可能已经很清楚这一点。对此表示遗憾。这种情况的出现似乎归结为一些特定的皮肤特征。虽然二氧化碳的呼出和体温一致地表明了温血动物的存在，但人体的气味更为独特。每个人皮肤上都寄居着不同的微生物群落，这些群落有助于形成独特的体味，这些体味也因人而异。

Researchers reveal that the receptors mosquitoes use to detect acidic compounds are especially important in helping them navigate towards humans. And, indeed, humans with more abundant skin acids prove to be consistently more attractive to mosquitoes. Because it's such a persistent trait, certain genes may play a role, perhaps by helping determine the skin's microbial composition. Scientists have observed that mosquitoes demonstrate similar levels of attraction among identical twins while responding more variably to fraternal twins, which supports that there may be some genetic basis at play.
研究人员揭示，蚊子用来检测酸性化合物的受体在帮助它们定位人类方面尤为重要。事实上，皮肤酸含量较高的人对蚊子更有吸引力。由于这是一个持久的特征，某些基因可能在其中起了作用，也许是通过帮助决定皮肤的微生物组成。科学家们观察到，蚊子对同卵双胞胎的吸引程度相似，而对异卵双胞胎的反应则差异较大，这证明可能存在某种遗传基础。

But beyond confirming that mosquitoes are, in fact, conspiring against some of us specifically, understanding what makes people mosquito-magnets has serious, large-scale implications. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people die from mosquito-borne diseases. And resources aren't reaching those who need them most. This knowledge can help inspire solutions, like more effective insect repellents that manipulate the skin's microbiome and odors. And knowing that some people are especially strong mosquito attractors could also help efforts to get them resources like repellents, bed nets, vaccines, tests, and treatments. The results could not only be less itchy, they could break transmission cycles and save countless lives.
但实际上，除了证实蚊子专门针对我们中的一些人之外，了解是什么有些人是吸蚊磁铁也会产生重大的、大规模的影响。每年都有数十万人死于蚊子传播的疾病。而物资却没有到达最需要它的人手中。这些知识有助于激发解决方案，比如研发更有效的驱虫剂，控制皮肤的微生物群和气味。了解到有些人特别容易被蚊子吸引，也有助于为需要的人提供驱蚊剂、蚊帐、疫苗、检测和治疗等资源。这样做不仅能减少瘙痒，还能打破传播循环，挽救无数生命。