STANDISH – The Maine Center for Disease Control last Thursday found West Nile virus in a pool of mosquitoes tested on Portland Water District property between the Otter Ponds and Saint Joseph’s College in Standish.

According to state epidemiologist Dr. Stephen Sears, the presence of West Nile in Standish means mosquitoes in adjoining towns could also be infected.

“What we would really like to stress is, we found mosquitoes in that area, that means that the potential exists for other mosquitoes to be positive. So it isn’t just the one spot because mosquitoes travel a couple, three miles from where you find them,” he said.

While no Maine resident has come down with symptoms associated with West Nile virus, as of Sept. 4, a record-breaking 1,993 Americans have become infected this year, including 87 deaths. Most of those have occurred in Texas and the mid-southern states that have experienced record-breaking heat.

West Nile virus was first discovered in Maine in 2001, Sears said, and has previously been detected in Standish, which is one of about 24 mosquito harvesting sites around the state that the CDC monitors. Last year, there were no reported cases and only a few in 2010 and 2009, Sears said. Virus-carrying mosquitoes were also found recently in Gorham and several York County towns.

Describing the testing process, Sears said about 40 to 50 mosquitoes from the species that carries West Nile virus are crushed to provide a sample for testing. There is no way of knowing, he said, how many mosquitoes in the test pool are infected.

Residents should take precautions against infection. Using bug spray, staying inside when mosquitoes are most active and wearing appropriate clothing when outside are recommended.

While death is a possibility, about four in five people who contract West Nile never display symptoms. Onset of symptoms occurs between two and 15 days of a bite. The virus can cause severe brain swelling maladies such as encephalitis and meningitis as well as less severe symptoms such as rash, fatigue and headaches.

Eastern Equine Encephalitis, another serious mosquito-borne disease, has yet to be found this year in Maine, Sears said.