With the summer season and the context linked to the coronavirus, the fear of mosquitoes could be greater than usual. However, the Superior Institute of Health in Italy (ISS) recently published a study which believes that mosquitoes cannot transmit Covid-19. If the WHO was already communicating on this subject, the Italian study provided scientific proof.
In a publication entitled "Mythbuster", the World Health Organization (WHO) already explained that mosquito bites could not be a source of transmission of Covid -19 (see below). The WHO raised in particular the absence of evidence of contamination but also the fact that it is a respiratory disease. However, infected droplets are the main contamination factor.
Nevertheless, the Higher Institute of Health in Italy (ISS) wanted to provide tangible evidence that mosquitoes are incapable of transmitting the virus . In a press release published on June 26, 2020, the institute in question is formal. Mosquitoes are harmless to SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19). This research was carried out in collaboration with the Experimental Institute of Zooprophylactic Venice (IZSVe), a research organization for animal health and food safety.
The study focused on the common mosquito (Culex pipiens) but especially on the fearsome tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) . However, the latter is known to be a vector of dengue fever, chikungunya, the zika virus or even yellow fever. Let us recall in passing that in 2019, this mosquito had colonized a large part of our country and is now under close surveillance. The Italian institute conducted a battery of experimental infection tests to assess the vector competence of the two mosquitoes. Here is the conclusion of the researchers:
“The study showed that the virus, once transmitted to the mosquito by an infected blood meal, is not able to replicate and therefore transmitted through a bite. »
The ISS and the IZSVe will soon publish further results, but the news already makes it possible to definitively rule out the possible role of mosquitoes in the transmission of Covid-19. If only two mosquito species have been tested, it is extremely unlikely that another species is capable of carrying the coronavirus. Finally, you should know that this research was very useful for a very simple reason. While the WHO has believed from the start that SARS-CoV-2 cannot be transmitted through mosquito bites, this statement remained in the realm of hypothesis .
