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Can Mosquitoes Transmit HIV or AIDS?
Mosquitoes are known to infect humans with serious diseases. They are able to pass on diseases that they contract from one animal to the next one that they bite. So, does this mean that mosquitoes can transfer HIV if they bite a host carrying the virus? Thankfully, they are unable to. This is due to the makeup of both the mosquito and the virus itself.
- Mosquitoes cannot actually become infected with HIV, and as such, they are unable to pass it on to people that they bite.
- A mosquito’s proboscis consists of two tubes: one to suck blood from its host and another to transmit saliva back into the host. No blood is returned to the host, so HIV cannot be passed along.
- Even if a mosquito is carrying HIV when it bites someone, there would not be enough of the virus present to infect a human. After a day or two in a mosquito’s body, HIV disappears.
Do Mosquitoes Transfer Blood to Their Hosts?
Although mosquitoes take blood from us, they do not return any foreign blood back to replace it. This is due to the structure of their proboscis. One tube is designed to take blood from the host, and the other is made to inject saliva back into the area of the bite. HIV is transmitted through infected blood, so the virus won’t be passed along through the mosquito’s saliva. Any HIV-positive blood ingested by a mosquito is rendered impossible to infect another human with.
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How Long Does HIV Survive in a Mosquito's Body?
HIV disappears inside a mosquito about 1-2 days after ingestion, which is the time it takes for a mosquito to digest the blood. HIV is unable to replicate within the mosquito’s digestive tract because there are no T-cells for it to bind to. As the mosquito goes about its regular process of digestion, all of the HIV cells are destroyed.
Is There Any Way Mosquitoes Can Transmit HIV?
Bottom line: do not worry about mosquitoes transmitting HIV, they simply can’t. Research has proven that it would take tens of millions of mosquito bites, all of which from mosquitoes that were carrying the virus, in order to have a chance to transmit the virus to a human. When it comes to concerns for mosquitoes and diseases, it’s important to focus on the diseases that they are already proven to spread.
Can Mosquitoes Transmit HIV or AIDS? in Southern Louisiana
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