Why don't mosquitoes become infected with the viruses that they carry? I grew up hearing/assuming that they were just buddies. Maybe the viruses did something for them or maybe the virus didn't act upon mosquito cells for some reason. Well turns out the younger me was wrong.
Apparently mosquitoes have a very pronounced immune reaction to the viruses that actually slices the viruses into harmless pieces. When a mosquito infects a human it is because she hasn't completely eradicated the virus from its system.
The SciAm article goes on to describe some potential uses for this knowledge. One: mosquitoes can me genetically modified to suppress immune response thus killing the mosquito before it can infect a human. Two: use knowledge of the mechanism of immune response to viruses in mosquitoes to craft human therapies.
Read more details here.
Unfaithfully Yours
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