Mosquitos and HIV transmission?

I used to study biology so I am accustomed to the fact that mosquitos cannot transmit the HIV virus to human beings. But this calls me to question why more research is not being done to find out why?? I mean, clearly there is something inside a mosquito which deactivates the virus, so surely more research shoud be done? Any information would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Mosquitoes digest the HIV virus along with the blood. I guess this IS deactivation, but then you would have to release enzymes into the bloodstream which would be harmful to your blood cells too. Perhaps research should be aimed at how to develop an enzyme which targets just the HIV virus.

I have (unfortunately) no infromation but your question, certainly has a good point!!!

Found this for ya

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/aids...

Just googled it which I'm sure you've done but these seemed like fairly reasonable explanations.

I think there are lots of sensible reasons why this does not happen and deactivation of the virus probably doesn't even come into it.

1. The easiest way a mosquito could transfer any virus would be to bite an infected individual and then an uninfected one; but once they have had a blood meal mosquitoes rest and then lay eggs. During this time any residual virus would die off. Anyway the dose that could be transferred would be too low to infect someone else.

2. Viruses, or anything else for that matter, that operate via an intermediate host need particular adaptations to enable them to transfer. A mosquito that ingests virus-infected blood will simply digest the virus a unless it has a particular adaptation for escaping digestion and transferring to other tissues. HIV needs to get into the blood stream and then binds to T-cells a type of white blood cell. This virus does not have binding sites to recognise other types of cell and therefore has no mechanism for incorporating itself into a mosquito ready to transfer to a second host. Insects do not have T-cells, so there is nowhere for the virus to get a hold and replicate itself.

Research is an activity that is really heavily constrained by the availability of money and has to focus on where the need is greatest. I would say that HIV virus is simply another source of protein to the average mosquito and that no deactivation is necessary.