Mosquito turns more dangerous; can transmit chikungunya and Zika virus in a single bite!

One bite by Aedes aegypti mosquito can now diagnose you with chikungunya as well as Zika virus at once, a research revealed The finding was revealed in an annual American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) meeting which was conducted in Atlanta on November 14, 2016.

This finding was revealed by the researchers of the Colorado State University. The disease spreading vector was found to be carrying both the viruses together and it was capable of injecting high levels these microbes through its saliva, which is sufficient to infect a person in a single bite.

"Their saliva is clearly testing positive for both, which could mean that people bitten by this type of mosquito could be infected by both viruses at once," Claudia Rückert of Colorado State, who presented the finding at ASTMH, stated in a press release.

"We need to understand more about what happens in both mosquitoes and people when all of these viruses are circulating in close proximity," Rückert stated further.

Another significant finding that was revealed was that these viruses could trigger various neurological complications which could have extremely severe outcomes, hence the patients should be closely analysed for any symptoms, informed Isadora Siqueira of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil.

"What's very difficult to determine is whether having a co-infection with two of these viruses increases the risk of neurological problems," said Siqueira, as quoted by the press release.

The exact link between these viruses remains to be a mystery for the researchers while Asia and America are prone to them. Further researches are carrying out to find if Zika infection can be bettered or blocked with the help of dengue antibodies.

"This kind of clinical research is essential so that we can better understand the true public health threat of these mosquito-borne viruses," said Stephen Higgs, PhD, president of ASTMH.

"Tropical medicine scientists must continue to be vigilant on the front-lines of these outbreaks and provide new and beneficial insights for physicians around the world. It is great to have so many of our members involved, and to see the impact of their work," Higgs concluded.