MOSQUITOES AS A POSSIBLE VECTOR FOR AIDS (IMMUNE DEFICIENCY)

Two known insect vectors of viral diseases, Anopheles quadrimaculatus and Culex quinquefasciatus, were examined as possible agents in the spread of HIV-I, the causative virus of AIDS. Two biological transmission and two mechanical transmission experiments were conducted. We examined possible differences in infectivity between free concentrated HIV-I virus and cells infected with HIV-I virus. Both high concentrations of free HIV-I virus and large numbers of H9-HIV-I infected cells were stable in, and recoverable from, the mosquito gut for periods ranging up to 48 hours after feeding on an experimentally infected bloodmeal. Based on earlier inactivation work, these results were expected. Absolutely no evidence of the ability to mechanically transmit an infectious dose of either free concentrated HIV-I or H9-HIV-I infected cells was noted, even though large numbers of mosquitoes were used. Our conclusion is that there is no in vitro evidence supporting the claim of mosquito transmission of AIDS.