There are numerous diseases that can be transmitted by mosquitoes: malaria, dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, Zika virus, encephalitis, and Japanese encephalitis to name a few. Despite all sorts of initiatives and preparations by authorities in many countries, mosquitoes continue to wreak many regions.
There are some dedicated and brave scientists who are willing to take great risks in order to find a solution to the mosquito menace. Perran Ross is one of those scientists. If the experience of getting bit by 4-5 mosquitoes at one time is irritating and frightening, imagine getting bit by thousands at one go.
Entomologist Perran Ross, who has been working on controlling the spread of dengue, zika, and other viruses, fed himself to thousands of mosquitoes. He tweeted a GIF of his lab study with the caption: “Our study on inbreeding and laboratory adaptation in mosquitoes is out now!”
Our study on inbreeding and laboratory adaptation in mosquitoes is out now! https://t.co/AnE8KU5aJR pic.twitter.com/ckUadL6ChD
— Perran Ross (@MosWhisperer) November 28, 2018
Time-lapse mosquito feeding pic.twitter.com/AJx5iy1gqr
— Perran Ross (@MosWhisperer) December 12, 2017
Mosquito eggs are very tiny and require a micromanipulator to puncture their egg wall. So, in order to keep female mosquitoes alive to lay more eggs, scientists have begun to feed them regularly. One of the easiest ways to do it is by giving them blood. That’s exactly what Ross has done, as shown in his tweet.
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