You think that the alcohol in your blood can repel ticks and mosquitoes. This is a myth, and scientists believe that the opposite is true. How is this possible?
People who drink alcohol may be more attractive targets for ticks, scientists from the Department of Zoology at the University of Life Sciences in Poznań and the Veterinary University in Kosice suggest.
Mosquitoes are more likely to attack people after drinking alcohol
- We are only planning additional studies on this topic, but our recently published assumptions are based on earlier experiments involving mosquitoes. They showed that these blood-sucking insects are more likely to attack people who drink alcohol, explains a graduate student, MD, who participated in the project. veterinarian Martina Fronczak.
The researchers presented the arguments they believe support this mechanism in a paper recently published in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. In the information sent to the media, they recalled that ticks, like mosquitoes, search for their host based on stimuli that indicate their presence in the environment, such as exhaled carbon dioxide, heat generated and body odor. And they add that all these signals are amplified under the influence of alcohol, which increases sweating, dilates blood vessels in the skin, and increases the body’s release of heat and carbon dioxide. It was shown that people soon after drinking beer attract more mosquitoes than people who did not drink beer.
Is female breath more attractive to ticks?
- It is generally assumed that all individuals in a population are at this risk of infestation. However, observations and studies show that this is not always the case. For example, one study in Africa found that only 20 percent of the human population is responsible for 80 percent. cases of malaria, a disease transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles, have been reported, says Martina Fronczak, quoted in the press release.
- However, in the case of ticks, there are still no convincing studies of the individual attractiveness of a person. However, it has been found that some species may prefer the scent of women’s breath more than men, adds Prof. Branislav Petko from the Veterinary University in Kosice, specializing in particular in the study of ticks.
- In recent years, tick species that pose a threat to humans and domestic animals, such as the common tick (Ixodes ricinus), have greatly expanded their range, becoming more numerous and active for longer periods of the year. This is the result, among other things, of climate change, changes in the management of urban and forest lands, as well as the activity of people and their pets, says prof. Petr Triyanovsky, corresponding author of this work.
Why are drunk party people attractive to mosquitoes and ticks?
In the material sent to the media, scientists recall that ticks, which are carriers of pathogens such as bacteria of the genus Borrelia or tick-borne encephalitis virus, are also ubiquitous in urban green spaces, where human contact with them is very high. Resting in the bosom of nature makes us even more vulnerable to these parasites. Especially given the popularity of green spaces as places for socializing and drinking alcohol.
- In the literature on the dangers of alcohol, different styles of drinking are distinguished. One of them is called in English the so-called. “Drinking”, which can be translated into Polish as drinking a lot of alcohol in a short time to get drunk. In practice, an example of such drinking would be drinking on weekends and occasionally. This style of drinking is common, including among students who meet for fun on the weekend after the school week. This often leads to highly irresponsible behavior and can be especially dangerous when meetings are held on the street, notes study co-author Prof. Joanna Slivowska, Head of the Laboratory of Neurobiology at the University of Life Sciences in Poznań.
Threats to partygoers at the time, while certainly not at the top of the list, could include exposure to mosquitoes, ticks, and tick-borne diseases. The risk of being bitten by mosquitoes or ticks after drinking alcohol may be due to one of the following reasons: alcohol changes the way we behave and move.
Mosquito studies have shown that after drinking beer, people become slower and therefore easier targets for mosquitoes. It is also not uncommon for people who consume excessive amounts of alcohol to fall or take random places on the street to rest or even sleep. And then it is not difficult to meet the tick closely, - adds prof. Petr Triyanovsky.
It’s a myth that alcohol repels mosquitoes.
Surveys of students in the Czech Republic show that some of them even deliberately drink alcohol to protect themselves from mosquitoes and ticks. Behind this idea is the theory that blood alcohol can be harmful to parasites. “However, we unequivocally reject this approach because it is not an effective way to prevent bites,” the study co-authors unanimously add.
- The amount of alcohol in a person’s blood is too low to kill the parasite that feeds on it. If the concentration of alcohol in a person’s blood were high enough to kill the tick, it would probably also contribute to the death of the host itself, warns Prof. John Slivowska. Scientists recommend adhering to proven methods of protection against ticks, such as the use of clothing that covers the legs and arms, and proven repellents.
Source: Wprost
