Understanding Skeeter syndrome
Nearly everyone is sensitive to mosquito bites. But for those with severe allergies, symptoms can be more than just annoying: They can be serious. Most bites occur at either dusk or dawn, when mosquitoes are most active. While male mosquitoes are harmless — feeding only on nectar and water — female mosquitoes are out for blood.
A female mosquito locks onto her victim using a combination of scent, exhaled carbon dioxide, and chemicals in the person’s sweat. When she finds a suitable meal, she lands on an area of exposed skin and inserts her proboscis to draw the victim’s blood. The proboscis is the long, flexible tube extruding from her head, and it’s capable of piercing human skin. The common symptoms — a red bump and itching — aren’t caused by the bite itself, but by the reaction of your body’s immune system to proteins in the mosquito’s saliva. This reaction is also known as Skeeter syndrome.
Learn more about Skeeter syndrome, and whether an encounter with mosquitoes might be potentially harmful.
Risk factors for mosquito bites and Skeeter syndrome
Mosquitoes appear to prefer certain victims over others, including:
- men
- pregnant women
- people who are overweight or obese
- people with type O blood
- people who have recently exercised
- people who emit higher amounts of uric acid, lactic acid, and ammonia
- people who have recently drunk beer
Also, because mosquitoes are attracted to heat, wearing dark colors may make you more likely to be bitten. This is because dark colors absorb heat. People living in humid, tropical climates or swamplands are also at greater risk for bites.
Some people have a greater risk of an allergic reaction, too, such as younger children. People with allergies to some of the components of mosquito saliva, such as proteins and antimicrobial agents, may also be at a greater risk of developing Skeeter syndrome.
