Scientist Lets Thousands of Mosquitoes Bite His Arm in the Name of Science

Here's a job you probably don't want. An entomologist from the University of Melbourne lets thousands of mosquitoes bite his arm regularly in order to keep them fed for research on eradicating Dengue fever.Dr. Perran Stott-Rosshas been involved in mosquito research at the University of Melbourne for many years now, trying to find effective ways of curbing the spread of the Dengue virus, which passes between humans via mosquitoes. 

But in order to further this research, Dr. Stott-Ross has to monitor thousands of these blood-sucking bugs, and as part of that monitoring, he offers his own arm as the main course. He recently tweeted a photo of his blister-covered arm after reportedly feeding a record 5,000 female mosquitoes.

He admits that the bites can be painful sometimes and that he always has to abstain from scratching after blood-feeding sessions. He said, "Sometimes it can sting a little bit if they get you in the right spot, but mostly it's just slight irritation. It's absolutely itchy later. As soon as I take my arm out, I have to resist the urge to scratch."

Source: ScienceAlert


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