Rat race takes a turn as rodents adapt to pest control
A new Rutgers University finds rodents may be growing immune to common poisons.
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Rodents in the Northeast may be gaining an edge over pest control efforts thanks to a genetic mutation that could be making them more resistant to typical methods used to keep them at bay.
In a new study, researchers at Rutgers University found that about 84 percent of mice tested from Northeast urban areas carried at least one genetic mutation that makes them resistant to poisons commonly used to control them.
"For years, pest control professionals throughout the Northeast have reported a troubling pattern. In some neighborhoods, rodents seemed increasingly more difficult to eliminate, even when standard control methods were used," Rutgers said in a statement.
Jin-Jia Yu, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Entomology at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, said pest control experts have been reporting that rodent control was becoming more difficult. Yu wanted to figure out how widespread the problem is becoming.
Yu, along with Rutgers researcher Changlu Wang, analyzed DNA from 147 house mice and 143 Norway rats collected from urban areas in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. They found that the gene mutation is more widespread in mice than people realize. Over time, the mutations help the rodents survive exposure to the chemicals often used to control the populations.
Researchers say the study points to a need for a broader approach to rodent management.
