Iowa mosquito expert seeks to track down West Nile virus

One of Iowa’s top experts on mosquitoes heads to the Davenport area today, where a crow was found last week, dead of West Nile virus. That marks the first time the disease has been found in Iowa. Medical entomologist Dr. Wayne Rowley of Iowa State University says he’ll try to catch some mosquitoes when he arrives in the Scott County town of Walcott. While there are 54 species of mosquitoes in Iowa, Rowley says he can run blood tests on any bug he catches to determine what it’s been feeding on — humans, pets, wildlife or livestock. He says it may be a challenge even finding any ‘skeeters, since it’s gotten so cool.The first day of autumn is Saturday and the cooler weather is already washing over Iowa. Rowley says that much is good news as far as the spread of the West Nile virus goes.Seven people died from West Nile Virus in the New York area in 1999 and there were more than 60 cases of severe illness. It’s especially dangerous for older people and those with weak immune systems.