4 ms·

I was a summer camp counselor and every week we'd have a 'staff hunt' where we'd basically play hide-and-seek with the staff all hiding out in the woods at nigh

I was a summer camp counselor and every week we'd have a 'staff hunt' where we'd basically play hide-and-seek with the staff all hiding out in the woods at night and then the kids coming through in flashlight-laden packs to find us. I chose a small little nook in the ground surrounded by bushes as my hiding spot. When the horn sounded for the beginning of the game, I started to feel a slight itching sensation on my back (I was wearing a tshirt) and was unsure of what it was. I had to be still and quiet, but I managed to swat the lower half of my back (and only the lower half). The itch began to grow, but I couldn't do anything else risk being caught. After 12 minutes the horn sounded again and I was able to get up and out of the nook. I made my way to the buildings and found a mirror, and saw that 70% of my upper back was swollen with mosquito bites. There were so many that they simply globbed together in to masses of bite. After about 20 minutes I checked again and they all had disappeared. Now, whenever I get bitten, I will notice it, but within 20 minutes the bite will be gone. Natural immunity is neat.

raamdev 13y ago
That response to the bite sounds exactly like my progression from normal response to near-immunity. As I mentioned above, it's not like I've always been immune and there wasn't one day when suddenly I became immune. Its been a long multi-decade process (I'm 31 now). In my early twenties, I would itch and welt from a mosquito bite for maybe 10 minutes. Now, I don't welt or itch. When I was in my early teens, it was probably more like an hour of welt + itch. I'm fascinated by bugs. I've always let them bite me for a while (even when I knew they would itch later). The joy of observing them always outweighed the itch for me. I think it's only because I've always let them bite me that I was able to get a sense of how the itching and welting changed over time. In retrospect, I wish I had kept detailed records of the timing change.
ufo 13y ago
Its not always that simple though and depending on how the immunity develops you might end up becoming allergic to mosquitos instead of immune to them. This is specially prone to happening if you are only exposed to them every once in a while when you go on a trip.
klipt 13y ago
Technically it's the opposite of immunity - your immune system has stopped reacting to mosquito bites. Neat adaptation though!

raamdev 13y ago

That response to the bite sounds exactly like my progression from normal response to near-immunity. As I mentioned above, it's not like I've always been immune and there wasn't one day when suddenly I became immune. Its been a long multi-decade process (I'm 31 now). In my early twenties, I would itch and welt from a mosquito bite for maybe 10 minutes. Now, I don't welt or itch. When I was in my early teens, it was probably more like an hour of welt + itch. I'm fascinated by bugs. I've always let them bite me for a while (even when I knew they would itch later). The joy of observing them always outweighed the itch for me. I think it's only because I've always let them bite me that I was able to get a sense of how the itching and welting changed over time. In retrospect, I wish I had kept detailed records of the timing change.

ufo 13y ago

Its not always that simple though and depending on how the immunity develops you might end up becoming allergic to mosquitos instead of immune to them. This is specially prone to happening if you are only exposed to them every once in a while when you go on a trip.

klipt 13y ago

Technically it's the opposite of immunity - your immune system has stopped reacting to mosquito bites. Neat adaptation though!