[genius91 (OP)]

Can AIDS be spread into a human by a mosquito bite?

[neilep]

I have to say that personally I would say NO....as far as I am aware ( and I am NOT a medical person, though..I am in need of medical attention !! [])....anyway...as far as I know AIDS is reserved for us primates...ie: monkeys, humans .

The only possibility I can think of is that if a mosquito gets a belly full of aids blood and then goes and jumps on someone else...which....in a round about kind of way is exactly what you were asking was it not !!?.......DOH !!!

*hmmm...I think I'll crawl back under my duvet and await an expert*

[Karen W.]

Seems plausible, but I don't know either and often wondered that myself!

[rosy]

I've never heard it reported, and I'd expect it to have been pretty high news value. So I'd guess it probably isn't. I suspect for one thing that more young children would get AIDS/HIV if this were a significant transport mechanism.. which would probably get picked up.
I believe the AIDS/HIV virus is pretty delicate (compared say to the common cold), hence why it is transmitted only by exchange of body fluids.
Malaria has a whole stage of its lifecycle inside the mosquito, hence why when they bite again there's a whole load more virus reinjected than it sucked out of the original victim... I think the amount of virus particles transferred by a mosquito bite just blood to blood probably means you'd have to be pretty unlucky to get enough virus transferred to infect someone.

But as usual I'm just guessing.

[Karen W.]

I have heard no, something about sterilazation by the mosquito itself! I don't know as I can't remember if it was something someone told me or I read, I still don't know!

[genius91 (OP)]

Karen, are you saying that mosquitos can sterilize the AIDS/HIV virus?

[Karen W.]

No, I am wondering what they mean by that ..  Someone or something I read a long time ago said that the mosquito was unlikely to pass anything that way due to some method of cleanseing nose or something. I could not believe that as I thought they could carry other things like malaria and such, that's why I am curious to know what they can carry as I don't believe the stories I heard as I think they were false.  I'm Sorry I guess I didn't phrase that well! Absolutely not, just questiong really what I heard also, as it made no sense to me at all! Thanks for calling that to my attention, I would not wish to have that thought floating around! LOL .. I must be more careful how I word things when I am tired.. Thanks!

[genius91 (OP)]

lets assume what neilep said, that a mosquito sucks up a belly full of blood infected with AIDS/HIV and then hops on another person and bites, there is still blood transufusion right? so, AIDS can still be given to another human being from a mosquito right? i'm just guessing.

[ukmicky]

I believe malaria is passed on to the mosquitoes victim as the malaria parasites have evolved to use the mosquito as a host where they happily live and replicate in the intestinal tract as part of their life cycle, so when the mosquito regurgitates small amounts of the bugs are expelled into its victim allowing there cycle to continue. However the aids virus cant survive and replicate inside the mosquito as they haven't evolved side by side and are digested as food.


And if a mosquito feeds on you just after its feed on someone with aids the amount of the virus which would enter your body is to small to survive.

[neilep]

So what your saying Michael is that the aids virus is not compatible with Mosquitoes biology/bio chemistry !

That is a big relief !

[Karen W.]

Thanks  Michael, and Neil.. I am glad to hear that too! Interesting little insects though, they love to feast on me.. I must be pretty tasty eats!! LOL!

[nith2k6]

i suspect that the HIV virus in human blood, when aspirated by the mosquito gets disrupted as the virus was very host specific and also the mosquito takes some time for next feed, so, the viruses may be killed, as the virus will be alive for very few second outside the host (primates). too, mosquitoes will never inject the aspirated blood.

[genius91 (OP)]

pheww thats a relief. thanks everyone!! []

[iko]

Hi everybody!
I must comment on this.
Even knowing that medical science is quite conservative and slow in achieving results...
25 years (past from AIDS 'discovery') are a bit too many for not reporting such an important route of infection in AIDS.
No such a thing has been ever described or suspected over the years.
We should be safe and feel lucky, ready to get 'only' nice lethal drug-resistant Plasmodia from mosquito bites!

iko

[ukmicky]

its a shame we cant breed genetically modified mosquitoes to spread  anti virul vacines around the world.

[nith2k6]

Good, creative thought,,,.

[iko]

But we do have BEE therapy folks!

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/gif/bsting4.jpg

Multiple Sclerosis and Bee Sting Therapy

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease that occurs when the insulating material called myelin around nerve cells in the central nervous system is damaged. People with MS may have pain, trouble walking and visual problems.
Several drugs can treat the symptoms of MS, but these medicines are not always effective and the disease can get worse. Therefore, some people with MS turn to alternative therapies for help. One alternative treatment for MS is bee sting therapy. During bee sting therapy (also called apitherapy), a person receives a series of honeybee venom injections under the skin. The venom can be injected with a syringe or by a live honeybee that is placed on the skin. Honeybee venom contains chemicals that reduce inflammation and affect the transmission of signals in nerve cells.
...
for more reading click here:  http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/bsting.html


...unfortunately bee sting therapy did not produce any significant changes in disability, fatigue or quality of life in the patients.
End of the story.

ikod 

[DrN]

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS, the syndrome. I'm sure I remember some research into using mosquitos to spread something, or maybe it was about releasing sterile ones into the wild so that they'd breed but not produce baby mosquitos, or something. I don't know. maybe I'm confused.

[neilep]

its a shame we cant breed genetically modified mosquitoes to spread  anti virul vacines around the world.

I agree with nith2k6..THAT is an outstanding idea.


The only problem would be to create a strain that will withstand the usual climes that are mosquito unfriendly !


Presumably, there may be a downside to this in the fact that once a mosquito had been created...it may also be used to serve as a weapon too.

[neilep]

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS, the syndrome. I'm sure I remember some research into using mosquitos to spread something, or maybe it was about releasing sterile ones into the wild so that they'd breed but not produce baby mosquitos, or something. I don't know. maybe I'm confused.

I don't know if you are confused Lindsay...because I am sure I heard the same thing about the production of streile mosquitos for the exact reason you cited...it's either that or we are both confused...YES..that's it !!