For the first time in Connecticut this year, mosquitoes that feed on humans have tested positive for the West Nile virus.

Mammal-biting mosquitoes trapped in Newington and Stratford Aug. 26 tested positive for the potentially fatal virus, the state Department of Public Health announced Wednesday.

The insects caught in Newington were the first in the town to test positive for the disease this year.

Officials also announced that bird-biting mosquitoes trapped in Hartford Aug. 26 tested positive for the virus, the first mosquitoes to test positive in the capital city this year.

Mosquitoes trapped in nine towns have tested positive for the virus this year, public health officials said.

Tuesday, officials announced that birds in five new towns tested positive for the virus. They were found in Brooklyn, East Haven, Newtown, Norwalk and Plainfield.

Mosquitoes can spread the virus to humans, who can then develop potentially deadly encephalitis, or swelling of the brain.

One human case has been reported in Connecticut this year. A man in his 70s from Old Greenwich was diagnosed with West Nile virus last week. He was recovering at Stamford Hospital.

–Associated Press