TER General Board

Can a mosquito transmit Aids? EOM
nineinch 8 Reviews 4328 reads
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It's possible in theory, and if I ever caught it, this is the first thing I'd blame.......

But I think it is pretty unlikely....

I know there was a big media blitz with this issue a few years back but it isappeared which tends to tell me that there was nothing there.

megapig2358 reads

It's possible.

But it's as LIKELY as a flaming moose crapping in your car.

SUPPOSEDLY ...... the HIV virus is extremely fragile outside of a host body (mammalian body) and doesn't survive toilet seats, saliva ... etc.

The only problem with that theory is that it's very possible that 20 years from now .. the same guys that are saying that might be saying "oh well, LOL ... that's another one on us"

Turns out ..... bird's do NOT actually fly to the moon in winter, like they thought not all that long ago.

JustAnotherDoc2738 reads

AIDS was in it's infancy.  Actually we were seeing Kaposi's sarcomas in the mouth and wondering what the hell was going on just before the AIDS name was given to the disease.

We were wondering the same as you.  Once it was understood that a blood borne pathogen was the culprit a silent panic went through the community.  Here was a lethal disease that had no cure.  

The answer to your question lies in the last 20 plus years.  If mosquitos could make the transfer the situation would have become much worse than it is.  I have no idea as to the potential innoculatory mechanism vis a vis mosquitos.  In theory it certainly sounds as though it could happen.  One of the saving graces on HIV is that it is realtively fragile when comparred to, say Hep B.  Prehaps the virus can't survive the climate within the Mosquito from bite to bite.

what do you mean, it's theoretically possible? guys, if you don't know the answer, don't pass around misinformation.

1. when a mosquito bites you, she does NOT INJECT blood into you, she sucks it OUT of you. she injects saliva, which contains a "blood thinner" to keep your blood flowing freely into her.

2. how would the mosquito get infected in the first place? she'd have to bite an HIV positive person and fill her belly - so why would she then fly immediately over to you for another meal?

3. the amount of blood in a mosquitos belly could not possibly carry enough of the virus to infect a human being, even if she did decide on you as a second meal, and accidentally puke blood into your system instead of drinking it.


do a google search on 'hiv mosquito bite' and you will get dozens of hits from authoritative medical sites that will tell you the same thing.

I suppose if you use protection, it's very unlikely, but there's always exceptions.

Why are you doing mosquitos?  How do you get them to stand still without crushing them?

This was studied extensively by the CDC about 15 years ago. after an AIDS outbreak in the south.  They cay it can't happen.

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