02/02/2014
Health Talk :)
After the Mosquito's Bite, What Causes That Itch?
Of course a mosquito doesn't "bite," Its proboscis ( sucking organ that forms part of the mouth ) works like a syringe to draw out blood. The resulting itch is caused not by the piercing proboscis or the protein in the mosquito's saliva but by the body's immune response to them.
Histamine is a nitrogen compound that triggers an inflammatory response. Bottom line, the histamine ends up making the blood vessels near the bite swell up. This produces a pink, itchy bump where the mosquito poked you.
Scratching the bump only makes this worse because it causes more irritation and inflammation of the sight, resulting in your immune system thinking it needs more antibodies to get rid of the foreign protein. So the more you scratch, the more it will swell; the itchier it will get; and the longer it will last.
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bonus facts
1. Only female mosquitoes drink blood.
2.They don’t need the blood for their own nourishment; rather, they need it to be able to produce eggs.
3. One easy and effective way to treat mosquito bite to reduce swelling and itchiness ins applying a piece of Scotch tape onto the bite and leave it there for a few hours, then gently remove the tape.
4. Female mosquitoes detect possible blood sources primarily by detecting emitted carbon dioxide.
Health matters