In a new study published in iScience, Florida International University (FIU) researchers pitted 119 human volunteers against three of the world’s most dangerous mosquito species and found that not one person was attractive to all three. Because each species decodes human scent differently, the results could help scientists develop next-generation, species-specific repellents. The three species studied — Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito) and Culex quinquefasciatus (southern house mosquito) — together spread yellow fever, dengue, Zika, West Nile and other diseases. The study, led by Ph.D. student Kaylee Marrero, is the first to directly compare how multiple mosquito species respond to the same people. “It is clear to me now that our skin microbiomes define our human odor signature.