nurse_ratchet

An acquaintance of mine insists that it has recently been proven that HIV can readily transmitted via mosquitos and that a leading AIDS research scientist said so on a documentary on either the Learning Channel or Discovery. She said this scientist also said that the best way to avoid being infected with HIV is to avoid people who have it. This scientis is claiming the CDC is covering all this up to avoid pannicking the public, but she cannot name who this scientist is. Do any of you know about this?

theyeti

I don't think so. HIV is very unstable and will quickly degrade outside of the human body. If your friend claims that he knows of an HIV researcher that thinks that mosquitoes can transmit it, then I would like to see some referrences. In particular, I would like to know of a single documented case where someone contracted HIV through a mosquitoe bite. Until then, it's heresay, and not very bright heresay at that. It sounds more like a way to rationalize descrimination against the HIV positive and homosexuals.

theyeti

nurse_ratchet

I think you are right, Theyeti. The CDC says that scientists who have studied mosquitos have found that after biting someone they rarely bite someone else immediately but go somewhere to digest the blood they just sucked out. My acquaintance insists that studies have shown that HIV lasts on dry surfaces longer than the CDC claims but she can't name any references. She is going on "well a leading AIDS researcher said it so it must be true".

Vorkosigan

HIV cannot be transmitted by mosquitoes, or everyone in the tropics would have it.

Michael

Amen-Moses

That is a rather strong position, wouldn't it be more scientific to say that there is no evidence that insect bites are a significant disease vector in the case of known variants of HIV?

I can easily envisage a case, in a hospital say, where a patient with HIV being treated in a bed next to another patient could have any number of diseases transmitted by biting or sucking insects.

Amen-Moses

[ February 05, 2002: Message edited by: Amen-Moses ]</p>

Oolon Colluphid

Somewhere in between, I'd say: HIV cannot be transmitted by mosquitoes, or we'd sure know about it by now since so many people in the tropics would have it.

Oolon

Boro Nut

I would doubt this claim. Few people have been able to mate successfully with mosquitos, and they weren't even gay, so you have no need to worry.

Ihatecheese

A couple of problems your acquaintance may encounter with this giant of a discovery

1. Mosquitos are unable to be infected with the virus
2. Any blood that enters a mosquito enters into the digestive tract and the virus is treated like the rest of the fluid and broken down as food
3.Mosquitos are unable due to the valve structure of their digestive system to disgorge even when squashed
4. Mosquitos even when fully engorged do not carry enough to infect a human through subcutaneous injection although direct vascular system injection would allow it. The level of the virus in human blood is very very low.

Mad Kally

Are you a registered nurse? How long ago did you go to college? Acquaintances are always spouting off crap they heard from some study or another. I hear old wives tales and total bullshit all the time but I am trained to try to help overcome the ignorance of the general public.

A person tells you they saw something on some channel on TV? Mosquitos do not transmit HIV.
I have never heard any medical person say that the best way to avoid HIV is to stay away from people infected with it. Many of my hospice patients die from AIDS. I don't take any more precautions around them than I do any other patients. Ever heard of universal precautions?

scigirl

I agree Oolon, and I would add a qualifier--a lot more people would have it that shouldn't have it--such as kids born to an HIV negative mother, stuff like that. I have not read one convincing case of people who claim to be in a "zero risk" population yet still contracted AIDS.

If it was transmitted like malaria, I think the epidemeologists would have picked up on this by now.

scigirl