ContraPest®, a New Tool for Rodent Control

Pyzyna, Brandy; Trulove, Nicholas F.; Mansfield, Clayton H.; McMillan, Ryan A.; Ray, Courtney; Mayer, Loretta P.

doi:10.5070/v42811054

Cited by 8 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Commercialized use of fertility control products for rodent control is not currently widely available, and is limited to a single product available in the USA, which has been evaluated against R. rattus (Pyzyna et al . 2018; Siers et al . 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several anti-fertility compounds have been used in controlling reproduction in various animal species in the field, through contraception or sterilization (Kirkpatrick & Turner 1985;Jacob et al 2008;Fagerstone et al 2010;Massei & Cowan 2014). Commercialized use of fertility control products for rodent control is not currently widely available, and is limited to a single product available in the USA, which has been evaluated against R. rattus (Pyzyna et al 2018;Siers et al 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impact of contraceptive hormones on the reproductive potential of male and female commensal black rats (Rattus rattus)

et al. 2021

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The black rat is considered one of the world's top pests. With increased restrictions on rodenticides, new alternatives to manage rats are urgently needed. Research on the use of contraceptive hormones, levonorgestrel (LE), and quinestrol (QU), have been evaluated against some rodent species, and this research is the first study to assess these on black rats. Hormones were incorporated into rodent bait at 10 and 50 ppm concentrations singly and in combination (EP-1). Groups of 10 animals of each sex were fed the baits over 7 days. Lower bait consumption was observed with slight body mass reductions. On dissection, it was observed that the uterus was in a state of edema and male reproductive organs weighed less with reduced sperm counts/motility. The 2 most promising baits, 50 ppm QU and EP-1, were used to assess impact on pregnancy and litter size. Pregnancy was reduced from 70% success when both males and females consumed untreated bait, down to 30% when males had consumed contraceptive bait but females had not, and down to 0% when females had consumed contraceptive bait, regardless of whether they had paired with a treated or untreated male. Litter size in the untreated pairs was 8 pups, but only 4 pups in those cases where the male only had consumed the contraceptive. Further studies should investigate how long the effect lasts and its reversibility. Field studies at the population level may also shed light on the practicality of using contraceptive baits for black rats in different habitats.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of contraceptive hormones on the reproductive potential of male and female commensal black rats (Rattus rattus)

et al. 2021

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“…In the United States, the field efficacy of ContraPest© cannot be assessed from the published literature because only information on bait uptake is presented (Pyzyna et al 2014), while the efficacy of ContraPest in combination with the rodenticide bromethalin was measured indirectly using tracking tunnels (Pyzyna et al 2018).…”

Section: A Effectiveness and Population Dynamics: Does The Contracept...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing fertility control for rodents: a framework for researchers and practitioners

2023

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Fertility control is often heralded as a humane and effective technique for management of overabundant wildlife, including rodents. The intention is to reduce the use of lethal and inhumane methods, increase farm productivity and food security as well as reduce disease transmission, particularly of zoonoses. We developed a framework to guide researchers and stakeholders planning to assess the effectiveness of a potential contraceptive agent for a particular species. Our guidelines describe the overarching research questions which must be sequentially addressed to ensure adequate data are collected so that a contraceptive can be registered for use in broad‐scale rodent management. The framework indicates that studies should be undertaken iteratively and, at times, in parallel, with initial research being conducted on (1) laboratory‐based captive assessments of contraceptive effects in individuals; (2) simulation of contraceptive delivery using bait markers and/or surgical sterilization of different proportions of a field‐based or enclosure population to determine how population dynamics are affected; (3) development of mathematical models which predict the outcomes of different fertility control scenarios; and (4) implementation of large‐scale, replicated trials to validate contraceptive efficacy under various management‐scale field situations. In some circumstances, fertility control may be most effective when integrated with other methods (e.g. some culling). Assessment of non‐target effects, direct and indirect, and the environmental fate of the contraceptive must also be determined. Developing fertility control for a species is a resource‐intensive commitment but will likely be less costly than the ongoing environmental and economic impacts by rodents and rodenticides in many contexts.

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“…This combination product, ContraPest®, is now registered for the management of Norway rats in the United States. The liquid bait is palatable to rats and renders males and females infertile (Pyzyna et al 2018). In 2 pilot studies, where ContraPest® was used in combination with a rodenticide, consecutive baiting for 100 days was required to decrease rat populations by 46% and it required 133 days in an urban setting to reduce the rat population by 67% (Pyzyna et al 2018).…”

Section: Effects Of Combinations Of Vcd and Tpmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The liquid bait is palatable to rats and renders males and females infertile (Pyzyna et al 2018). In 2 pilot studies, where ContraPest® was used in combination with a rodenticide, consecutive baiting for 100 days was required to decrease rat populations by 46% and it required 133 days in an urban setting to reduce the rat population by 67% (Pyzyna et al 2018). The relative contribution of ContraPest® and the rodenticide to the apparent decrease in population size is unknown.…”

Section: Effects Of Combinations Of Vcd and Tpmentioning

confidence: 99%

The status of fertility control for rodents—recent achievements and future directions

et al. 2021

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Management of overabundant rodents at a landscape scale is complex but often required to sustainably reduce rodent abundance below damage thresholds. Current conventional techniques such as poisoning are not species specific, with some approaches becoming increasingly unacceptable to the general public. Fertility control, first proposed for vertebrate pest management over 5 decades ago, has gained public acceptance because it is perceived as a potentially more species-specific and humane approach compared with many lethal methods. An ideal fertility control agent needs to induce infertility across one or more breeding seasons, be easily delivered to an appropriate proportion of the population, be species specific with minimal side-effects (behavioral or social structure changes), and be environmentally benign and cost effective. To date, effective fertility control of rodents has not been demonstrated at landscape scales and very few products have achieved registration. Reproductive targets for fertility control include disrupting the hormonal feedback associated with the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, gonad function, fertilization, and/or early implantation. We review progress on the oral delivery of various agents for which laboratory studies have demonstrated efficacy in females and/or males and synthesize progress with the development and/or use of synthetic steroids, plant extracts, ovarian specific peptides, and immunocontraceptive vaccines. There are promising results for field application of synthetic steroids (levonorgestrel, quinestrol), chemosterilants (4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide), and some plant extracts (triptolide). For most fertility control agents, more research is essential to enable their efficient and cost-effective delivery such that rodent impacts at a population level are mitigated and food security is improved.

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ContraPest®, a New Tool for Rodent Control

Cited by 8 publications

References 20 publications

Impact of contraceptive hormones on the reproductive potential of male and female commensal black rats (Rattus rattus)

Impact of contraceptive hormones on the reproductive potential of male and female commensal black rats (Rattus rattus)

Developing fertility control for rodents: a framework for researchers and practitioners

The status of fertility control for rodents—recent achievements and future directions

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