Since the beginning of the HIV epidemic, there has been close interest in whether mosquito bites and blood sucking can transmit the HIV virus. However, studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and others have shown no evidence that HIV can be transmitted by mosquitoes, even in areas with high rates of mosquito infestation.
Experiments and observations of mosquito bites imply that when insects bite humans, they do not carry the blood of the mosquito itself or of the previous human bite; in fact, the mosquito injects its own saliva, which acts as a lubricant and helps the mosquito bite more effectively. Certain species of mosquitoes transmit yellow fever and malaria through their saliva, however, HIV dies quickly in insects and, unlike the organisms (microbes) that are transmitted through mosquito bites, HIV cannot reproduce or even survive in insects. Therefore, even if HIV enters the body of a mosquito or other insect, the insect will not be infected and will not transmit HIV by biting a human. There is no need to worry about interpersonal transmission of HIV from one person to another when a mosquito bites an HIV-infected person for the following reasons: 1. 3. Scientists who study insects have confirmed that after biting a host, insects usually do not immediately move on to the next bite, but fly to a resting place to digest the blood.