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Allergy & Asthma Advocate: Summer 2005
Summertime means mosquito time
Only female mosquitoes bite. Heat, light, sweat, body odor, lactic acid and carbon dioxide attract the female mosquito to your skin. She inserts the tip of her mouth into a tiny blood vessel, injects her saliva into your bloodstream, and then sucks your blood. It is thought that contact must last at least 6 seconds in order for a reaction to occur. Mosquito saliva contains chemicals that prevent your blood from clotting and proteins that evoke an immune response that we commonly witness as redness, swelling and itching. A mosquito bite can cause a variety of reactions. People who have never been bitten before (primarily children) may not react at all. After being sensitized, they will typically develop a tiny, itchy red bump that appears hours to days after they have been bitten. Usually, these bumps will last a few days. Some people, however, have more serious reactions such as blistering lesions on the legs or larger hives accompanied by fever and joint swelling. At its worst, a mosquito bite can cause anaphylaxis—a potentially life-threatening condition characterized by throat swelling, generalized hives, faintness or wheezing. This reaction is rarely caused by mosquitoes and is more commonly associated with bee or wasp stings. If you suspect this reaction in yourself or anyone around you, seek medical attention immediately and use injectable epinephrine if available. Treatment tips
Tips to avoid mosquitos
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© 1996-2008 · All Rights Reserved · American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology |
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Baseball games, barbeques, and pool parties—the joys of summer are finally here! Unfortunately, summertime also means mosquito-time. There are over 2700 species of these pesky insects worldwide. In the United States, the three most common genera are the Aedes, Anopheles, and Culex. While mosquitoes are capable of carrying blood-borne diseases like malaria, West Nile encephalitis, and dengue fever, their bite is what gives them their notoriety.