Surprisingly few of the more than 3,000 mosquito species actually specialize in biting humans. Instead, most are opportunistic feeders – feeding when they are able and from lots of different sources.

But Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae are well known for their preference for human blood and their role as vectors which transmit disease in humans. Ae. aegypti has been linked to zika and dengue, while An. gambiae carries the parasite which causes malaria. Not only do certain mosquito species show very strong preferences for obtaining their blood meals from humans, they also appear to discriminate between people when choosing…

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