MM (Marieke) de Swart MSc
Externe medewerkerfollow_us_label
Apart from being a nuisance, mosquitoes are known to be important vectors of disease. We all know by experience that some people are more attractive to mosquitoes than others. However, many questions about the how and why remain unanswered. Attractiveness to mosquitoes is influenced by our skin microbiome, but why do they find some people more attractive? My main aim is to bridge the gap between disease vector biology and human health. My PhD project called “the smell of success” is a perfect example; I want to find out which components in our blood explain our attractiveness to the malaria mosquito Anopheles coluzzii - after all, only female mosquitoes need blood for reproduction. I am also interested whether our immune system plays a role in mosquito attraction. Therefore, I am currently involved in a trial with human participants to compare attractiveness to mosquitoes and blood composition.
I am always open to new collaborations or contact, please contact me if you have a nice idea!