Can I develop immunity to mosquito bites?
I grew up in the back-east mosquito zone, and have the type of metabolism they find very attractive. After living in a mosquito-free environment for many years, I find that when I return to a mosquito zone, my reaction to the bites is much worse. So I believe some immunity can be acquired, in the sense of bisesi’s beekeepers (not exactly po’s immunity, but an acquired tolerance resulting from exposure).
On a related note, I noticed as a child that I -never- got “mosquito bites,” in the sense of the raised, red welts. I couldn’t understand if it was because I wasn’t being bitten, or because I wasn’t reacting. Finally, I watched a mosquito bite my arm, circled the spot with a pen, and kept an eye on it… No reaction whatsoever. Apparently I was born with a natural immunity to the agents in their saliva that cause the histamine reaction. So obviously it’s possible for a human to be nonreactive – though I can’t actually answer your question as to -developing- that resistance (it seems it’s already been answered sufficiently anyhow).
Anecdotal: My kid brother was a counselor at a Boy Scout camp in northern Wisconsin for several summers. According to him, bites would always sting and make a small welt, but in about two weeks they’d no longer create an itch. In northern WI (or MI) 2 weeks in the woods is a hell of a lot of mosquito bites.
The itchiness and swelling is a histamine reaction, which could be thought of as excessive (rather than insufficient) immunity. It’s plausible that after repeated bites, your body learns not to react. If so, the end result is what you desire but the mechanism involved is the opposite of what you think.
