Malaria is afraid of him: Internet reacts to video of researcher feeding his blood to mosquitoes

A researcher is seen, in a viral video, getting bitten by mosquitoes every day, of their own volition, to 'understand' these insects better.

The clip was shared on Instagram showing Dr Perran Ross sticking his hand inside a glass box with mosquitoes. Several of the insects can be seen biting Ross in the clip. When he takes his arm out soon after, numerous red bumps are visible on his skin.

In the video, Ross says, "Most people wonder why would anyone volunteer to stick their arm in a cage of mosquitoes. But they’re such beautiful creatures. I am Dr Ross. I am from Melbourne and I let mosquitoes sting me for research."

The video caption reads - "In addition to conducting research on mosquito traits and their lifespans, the job of Mosquito-Man, (aka Dr. Perran Ross) @mosquito_whisperer as an experimental biologist includes sticking his arm inside mosquito cages and letting them bite for ten seconds. His biggest haul was 15,000 mosquito bites."

The clip, which was posted a week back, gathered mixed reactions. While the original uploader made a riff on The Killers' Mr Brightside song with the caption "Coming out of their cage and he’s doing just fine," one individual offered a solution, saying "Hi, I’m also a PhD medical entomologist that works with mosquitoes. They make artificial feeders that keep you from having to do this."

Others had comments on lighter notes, with one individual stating "What in the Spiderman plot is this". The Marvel hero notably gets his superpowers after being bitten by a radioactive spider.

Another said, "This is the beginning of a supervillain origin story."

Some even believed that it might be a kink with the person. One user claimed "Somehow I KNOW he's the life of the party at BDSM events," while another wondered "Is this a sex thing?"

An Instagram user also noted "It seems as though mosquitoes are a special interest for him. He got a bit emotional at first when discussing them. I’d be interested in hearing more about his reasoning."

Dr Ross works with The University of Melbourne. His bio on their site reads "Perran Ross is a research fellow working with mosquitoes, crop pests and beneficial insects. His research focuses on the application of endosymbionts in pest and disease control programs and understanding factors that can affect their success."

Ross, monikered the mosquito whisperer, researches generating strains of insects with 'novel combinations of endosymbionts and evaluating their potential for field release' as per his university page. For Ross, his other areas of interest include 'studying the effects of environmental stress on Wolbachia infections, adaptation of insects to artificial rearing conditions, and Wolbachia evolution.'