The pathogens that mosquitoes among other insects spread cause hundreds of thousands of deaths every year among hundreds of millions of cases of severe illness.
How is it that these creatures are able to spread diseases so effectively? And how did viruses evolve to use insects for that purpose?
In today’s video, we share with you exactly that. We show just how viruses can use mosquitoes, and why some can spread via insects, and others can’t. Click HERE to watch it now!
Injecting Ebola Into Mosquitoes
During the ebola outbreak, scientists wanted to understand whether ebola could transmit via mosquitoes.
When they injected mosquitoes with the virus, mosquitoes did NOT get infected.
In other cases, viruses WILL infect mosquitoes and other insects. Surprisingly many insects are completely destroyed by microorganisms hijacking them. Ants experience outbreaks just like us!
Why is it that Ebola could affect humans, and cause such suffering in us, but not in mosquitoes?
Viruses evolve in various ways, and thus have different modes of transmission, different symptoms, etc.
In the case of ebola, they were not adapted to infect mosquitoes.
Transmission via Mosquitoes: the Complexity
Some diseases such as malaria transmit through mosquitoes almost exclusively, and they’re highly effective at it.
Most people think that mosquitoes are simply dirty syringes sharing blood between all humans, and thus deadly pathogens, but the actual reality of the situation is more complex.
In many cases, mosquitoes that suck blood of people infected by a deadly pathogen simply let the pathogen out via their waste, OR the pathogen dies in the gut of the mosquito (or other insect)!
When a pathogen is sucked into an insect, it must have evolved the ability to infect the insect's stomach, as well as other parts of the body, to eventually work its way back to the mouth.
Once it gets back to the mouth of the insect, it is then able to infect other people that the mosquito bites, effectively using the mosquito as a vector for high transmission rates.
Malaria is one of the pathogens that are highly evolved for this mode of transmission, but other pathogens such as HIV & Ebola have not evolved this capability.
The Big Question About Covid 19
Before we proceed, NO, Covid 19 can NOT spread through mosquitoes. As far as we know, insects are not a vector of transmission for this virus.
Coronavirus, from what we know as of Mid-April 2020, primarily spreads via coughs & sneezes in the air and from direct human contact.
The Process of Evolution Leading to Outbreak
Most outbreaks are evolved strains from previous diseases. For example, an animal species (ie. birds) might be experiencing an outbreak of a disease, and then a sudden mutation in one of the virus particles could allow it to infect humans as well.
Viruses among other pathogens have a high rate of mutation & evolution because they reproduce quickly and in high #’s, just like insects.
In the case of mosquitoes, we’ve already seen new species emerge in the past hundred years as a result of the human impact on Earth.
For example, there is already a new species of mosquito that has been identified in the London Underground. They are specially evolved for living in metros.
Most evolutions of a virus die off because it is not beneficial for reproduction. However if one mutation has an advantage, and during its life it can exploit the advantage, then we will see an outbreak.
Mitigating Outbreaks & Staying Safe
The best thing we humans can do is avoid close proximity with wildlife animals and especially insects.
The reason for this is simple:
When we are in close contact with insects or wild animals, the pathogens that are on them are more likely to evolve into a strain that can infect humans, kicking off diseases and suffering in humanity.
When you aren’t around insects & wild animals, then if a virus mutation creates a version that would be highly adapted to infect humans, it will die off because there are no humans nearby to infect.
It’s eliminating the threat of disease BEFORE the disease infects a single human because it is not beneficial for a virus to evolve into a strain that can infect humans because no humans are by it (thus killing it).
If on the other hand several insects are living in your home, and wild animals in your attic, pathogens that evolve to infect humans will have a greater likelihood of kicking off, starting with you.
Contact Us ASAP If In Need of Assistance
We at Wildlife x Team International specialize in safe & responsible removal of wildlife & pests.
We also restore any damage that they may have caused to your home.
You can call us at 855-WILDLIFE
Or visit our website at www.wildlifexteam.com
Thanks,
-Wildlife x Team International