In school we used to be taught that dengue fever and malaria are spread by female mosquitoes that transfer the virus to the human body while sucking blood. For decades we were taught that only female mosquitoes suck the blood of humans and animals to live. Recent studies from Pennsylvania State University have found that this is no longer a fact after discovering several species of male mosquitoes that also suck blood.
This discovery was made accidentally by researchers who were studying the spread of diseases by mosquitoes. Male mosquitoes in the laboratory were also detected to suck blood provided for female mosquitoes. Male mosquitoes that suck blood would usually die because it is toxic but in their observations, these male mosquitoes lived as usual without negative effects.
Experiments were then carried out on male mosquitoes that were left to thirst and when capillaries filled with blood were given, they sucked it like female mosquitoes. This new discovery was only detected in the laboratory and if the male mosquitoes were not dehydrated. Outside the laboratory, male mosquitoes live by sucking nectar and natural sugary liquids.
So far, five species of male mosquitoes have been detected as bloodsuckers, namely Culex tarsalis, Culex quinquefasciatus, Aedes aegypti, Aedes notoscriptus, and Anopheles stephensi. Of these species, Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus are found in Malaysia and transmit dengue and Japanese encephalitis.
The research paper is currently in preprint stage at bioRXiv and is awaiting peer review.
