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Can Mosquitoes Transmit HIV or AIDS?

We all know mosquitoes are capable of transmitting some of the world’s deadliest diseases. But what about HIV or AIDS? Thankfully, mosquitoes cannot under any circumstances transmit HIV when they bite people. This is in due part to both the biology of the mosquito and of HIV itself:

  • Mosquitoes are unable to become infected with HIV, and thus cannot pass it on. 
  • A mosquito’s proboscis has two tubes: one to suck blood from its host and the other to inject saliva into the bite. Because only saliva is injected into the host, HIV cannot be transmitted through the bite.
  • Even if a mosquito has HIV in its body when it bites a host, there would not be enough to infect. The virus disappears in the mosquito after just one or two days.
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Do Mosquitoes Transmit Blood?

When mosquitoes “bite” you, they are actually using a needle-like proboscis that sucks up blood. This unique proboscis also disables the mosquito from transferring blood back into you. Made up of two tubes, one tube sends saliva into the host while the other sucks up blood. This two-tube system is why mosquitoes cannot transmit HIV, which is transmitted through infected blood. Any HIV-positive blood ingested by a mosquito will therefore never be passed on to another individual.

Can Mosquitoes Carry Mosquitoes?

When a mosquito bites an HIV-positive individual, the virus will disappear in just 1-2 days, which is the time required for a mosquito to digest the blood. This is because HIV is unable to replicate within the mosquito’s gut, unlike humans in which HIV binds to T cells. It is during the mosquito’s digestion process that any HIV ingested is completely destroyed.

Mosquitoes & The Diseases They Spread

No matter what, you never need to worry about mosquitoes transmitting HIV when they bite you. Scientists have done research on the topic only to find that an individual would have to be bitten by millions of mosquitoes that each had fed on an HIV carrier for even a single unit of HIV to be passed.

The only concern with mosquito bites is the fact that they can transmit other dangerous diseases.

Can Mosquitoes Transmit HIV or AIDS? in Georgia

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