Contact:
sales@biotechnologyforums.com to feature here

Poll: Mosquito bite can cause AIDS?
You do not have permission to vote in this poll.
Yes
0%
No
80.00%
I don't know!
20.00%
Total
5 vote(s)
100%
* You voted for this item.

Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Why Mosquito bite can't cause AIDS? Please help in finding the answer
#1
I have a curious question (not asked in any assignment). I have always wondered as to why Mosquito bite doesn't cause AIDS? What if a Mosquito bites an AIDS patient and then bites a healthy person? The blood carried by the mosquito won't transfer the virus? I know it is established that mosquito bite can't cause AIDS, but can anyone help me in getting my concept cleared about why it is not possible ?

Looking forward to your response.

Thanks

Rajni
Like Post Reply
#2
Hello Rajni,

the question you asked, is indeed one of the common questions. You should have searched it on web, as there are too many sites discussing the same. So, here are few reasons why HIV cannot be transmitted by mosquito or any other insect.

1. HIV cannot replicate inside an insect, as it requires the machinery which can only be found in man and primates. HIV is highly host specific. It requires T4 antigen on cell surface to infect, which is not present in insects. The survival time of HIV is also short, in other organisms and has low infecivity power.

2. The titre amount of HIV ingested by mosquito is very less, which is not enough to cause AIDS.

3. Another reason, mentioned in various sites is that, the channel for sucking blood, and the channel for injecting saliva are two different ones. Thus, mixing of fluids doesn't occur during biting of mosquito.

4. Another reason is that the mosquito digests the low amounts of the virus thus, decreasing the probability.

Hope, it helps.

refs:

1. Iqbal MM. Can we get AIDS from mosquito bites? J La State Med Soc. 1999 Aug;151(8):429-33. PubMed PMID: 10554479.
2. rci.rutgers

ADAS
Like Post Reply
#3
Thanks Sir. I had gone through the literature available, but my confusion was over some intriguing facts:
a) How can a blade cut at a barber cause AIDS (under those rare combination of events: first a cut on an AIDS patient, then on a healthy one), when the titer of the virus isn't expected to be high on blade surface??
b) AIDS is a particle, then why does it require a host as an obligation?? It should very well be dormant.?
c) And even though channels are different for saliva injection and blood sucking, the proboscis of mosquito is common. Isn't it like using the same needle for injections?

My questions might sound stupid, but these questions really strike my mind a lot and I find no proper answer anywhere.

Thanks for your response though.
Like Post Reply
  

Possibly Related Threads…
Thread
Author
  /  
Last Post



Users browsing this thread:
1 Guest(s)

Why Mosquito bite can't cause AIDS? Please help in finding the answer00