Blood Type O is Most Susceptible to Insect Bites
Blood type O individuals are significantly more likely to be bitten by mosquitoes compared to other ABO blood groups, with research demonstrating that type O attracts 83.3% more mosquito landings than type A.
Evidence for Blood Type O Preference
Mosquito Landing Studies
Aedes albopictus mosquitoes showed significantly higher landing preference for blood group O subjects (83.3% relative landing rate) compared to blood group A subjects (46.5%) in controlled human landing experiments 1
Blood group O secretors attracted mosquitoes at nearly double the rate of blood group A secretors, indicating both blood type and secretor status influence mosquito attraction 1
Field studies using ABO blood groups as markers confirmed that mosquitoes can detect and preferentially feed on specific blood types, with the host's blood group identifiable in mosquito blood meals for up to 24-34 hours post-feeding 2
Hierarchical Blood Type Preference
The attractiveness ranking from most to least attractive appears to be:
Type O > Type B > Type AB > Type A based on mosquito landing preference studies 1
When Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were offered blood from diabetic versus non-diabetic individuals matched by blood type, they still significantly preferred type O blood (50-65% preference) regardless of glucose levels 3
Geographic Consistency
Epidemiological studies in malaria-endemic areas of southern Iran found higher prevalence of blood group O (36.7%) among residents, though molecular typing of mosquito blood meals yielded insufficient human-fed specimens to definitively confirm field preference 4
Studies of chikungunya-affected families demonstrated that blood group O positive individuals were more susceptible to infection than other blood groups, suggesting mosquitoes carrying the virus preferentially bite type O individuals 5
Mechanism of Preference
The H antigen (blood group O disaccharide) attracted significantly more Aedes albopictus than the A antigen (blood group A trisaccharide), suggesting mosquitoes detect specific carbohydrate structures on the skin surface 1
ABH antigens present on skin cells appear to influence mosquito host-seeking behavior, though the exact chemosensory mechanism remains incompletely understood 1
Clinical Implications
While the provided guidelines focus on management of insect hypersensitivity reactions rather than bite prevention 6, understanding blood type susceptibility has practical relevance:
Blood type O individuals should be counseled to use more aggressive mosquito avoidance measures (repellents, protective clothing, bed nets) when traveling to endemic areas for mosquito-borne diseases 6
The increased bite frequency in type O individuals may translate to higher risk of vector-borne disease transmission, though this requires further epidemiological confirmation 4, 5
Important Caveats
Most studies examined Aedes species mosquitoes; preference patterns may differ for other mosquito genera or biting insects 1, 3
Individual variation in other attractant factors (body odor, carbon dioxide production, skin temperature) also influences bite frequency independent of blood type 2
Regardless of blood type, all individuals in endemic areas require standard protective measures, as even less-preferred blood types still receive substantial mosquito bites 6