Liquid Fertility Management Bait Uptake by Urban Rats within New York City Subway Refuse Rooms

Pyzyna, Brandy; Cunningham, Lindsey; Calloway, Elissa; Dyer, Cheryl A.; Mayer, Loretta P.; Cowan, David P.

doi:10.5070/v426110476

Cited by 6 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A palatability trial was conducted in subway refuse rooms in New York City. This trial confirmed that urban wild Norway rats would consume ContraPest ® while in the presence of abundant alternative food sources (Pyzyna et al 2014). Following this trial, two additional trials utilizing ContraPest ® in complex urban environments have been conducted in mid-western US and northeastern US.…”

Section: Urban Trialssupporting

confidence: 56%

ContraPest®, a New Tool for Rodent Control

Pyzyna¹,

Trulove²,

Mansfield³

et al. 2018

vertebrate_pest_conference

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Lethal rodenticides and other lethal tools of managing commensal rodent populations long-term are not sustainable due to population rebounds and increasing resistance to rodenticides. The use of integrated pest management (IPM) programs are more prevalent due to consumer desire to decrease rodenticide use and utilize environmentally friendly, humane methods. IPM plans often require multiple tools to control an infestation, such as physical, biological and chemical measures. Here, we propose that rodent population management would benefit from a new tool aimed at targeting the biological source of overabundance: reproduction. SenesTech, Inc. (Flagstaff, AZ USA) has developed ContraPest ® , a liquid bait that limits the reproductive capacity of both male and female wild Norway and Roof rats. The two active ingredients, 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD) and triptolide, deplete all stages of follicles in the female and disrupt spermatogenesis in the male. Laboratory and field studies reveal that ContraPest ® is palatable and repeatedly consumed by rats even when provided with ad libitum food and water. Studies involving laboratory and wild caught rats have demonstrated a 93 -100% reduction in litter sizes of rats treated with ContraPest ® compared to control rats. ContraPest ® was tested on free ranging rat populations in agricultural and urban settings. Rat populations on protein production farms decreased by an average of 46% following 100 days of treatment with ContraPest ® . In a complex urban environment, where property boundaries limit access to populations and foraging areas, ContraPest ® reduced the seasonal population peak by 67% after 133 days of baiting. These studies, combined with all of our field studies and population reduction models, demonstrate that ContraPest ® is a highly effective rodent contraceptive bait in a variety of environments. We strongly believe that adding/implementing fertility management via ContraPest ® to an IPM program would enhance long-term rodent population control in rural, urban, and agricultural environments.

show abstract

Section: Urban Trialssupporting

confidence: 56%

ContraPest®, a New Tool for Rodent Control

Pyzyna¹,

Trulove²,

Mansfield³

et al. 2018

vertebrate_pest_conference

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For example, combinations of 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide and triptolide have been shown to be highly effective in modifying Rattus life history traits. In females, litter number is reduced by increasing the overall concentration in each dose; litter size is reduced by varying dosage frequency; in males, even greater sensitivity to dosage exists and may lead to lifelong sterility in some individuals (Mayer et al., 2002, 2004; Dyer et al., 2013; Dyer and Mayer, 2014; Pyzyna et al., 2014). Note that while chemically induced sterility can often be induced in both sexes, this is usually not the means by which males are sterilized in the sterile-male treatments of pest populations described above (Knipling, 1959; Knipling and McGuire, 1972; Krasfur, 1998; Klassen and Curtis, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite aggressive campaigns to cull rat populations, R. norvegicus numbers are estimated to exceed 175 million in the US alone, and attempts at population control cost in excess of $20 billion each year (Pimentel et al., 2005). Additional consequences and costs of Rattus populations' explosive rates of increase, as well as current methods for rodent control are reviewed in detail elsewhere (Seamark, 2001; Singleton, 2003; Jacob et al., 2006, 2008; Pyzyna et al., 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We present our illustrations in terms of the opportunity for selection (Crow, 1958, 1962; Wade, 1979), which provides a dimensionless, empirical estimate of the maximum strength of selection acting on a particular population (Wade, 1979; Shuster and Wade, 2003). Our approach considers the reproductive life history of a hypothetical pest species, biologically similar to the Norway rat, Rattus norwegicus , and is designed to provide a comparison of the effectiveness of other pest control measures that kill, sterilize or reduce the fertility of this and similar species (Sridhara and Krishnamurthy, 1992; Singleton and Petch, 1994; Mayer et al., 2002, 2004; Dyer et al., 2013; Dyer and Mayer, 2014; Pyzyna et al., 2014). Although our example species is a rodent, our framework can apply broadly to a wide range of iteroparous mammals, and also may be appropriate for any non-mammalian pest species for which female reproductive life history parameters can be specified.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The opportunity for sexual selection and the evolution of non-responsiveness to pesticides, sterility inducers and contraceptives

Shuster

Pyzyna²,

Mayer³

et al. 2018

Heliyon

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We illustrate a method for delaying and possibly eliminating the evolution of non-responsiveness to the treatments now used to control pest populations. Using simulations and estimates of the variance in relative fitness, i.e., the opportunity for selection, in a rat-like mammal, we show that the selection responsible for the evolution of non-responsiveness to pesticides and sterility-inducers, is similar in its action to sexual selection, and for this reason can be orders of magnitude stronger than that which exists for untreated populations. In contrast, we show that when contraceptives are used to reduce the fertility of a pest species, with non-responders embedded within such populations, the opportunity for selection favoring non-responsiveness is reduced to that which is expected by chance alone. In pest species with separate sexes, we show that efforts to control pest populations or to mitigate selection favoring non-responsiveness, are likely to be ineffective when members of one sex are sterilized or killed. We also show that while mating preferences can impede the rate at which resistance evolves, they are more likely to accelerate this process, arguing against the use of sterile male approaches for controlling pests. Our results suggest that contraceptives are more effective at controlling pest populations and slowing the evolution of non-responsiveness than treatments that cause sterilization or death in target species. Furthermore, our results indicate that contraceptives that work differentially on each sex will be most effective in mitigating selection favoring non-responders. Our results have significant implications for the development and application of treatments to manage pests, now and into the future.

show abstract

“…ContraPest ® has been shown to be palatable to free living wild rats (Pyzyna et al 2014) and decreased offspring numbers in both laboratory and wild rats in captivity (Witmer et al 2017). An open arena breeding study was conducted at the USDA National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) in Fort Collins, CO.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Free Ranging Wild-Caught Norway Rats Have Reduced Fecundity after Consuming Liquid Oral Fertility Bait Containing 4-Vinylcyclohexene Diepoxide and Triptolide

Pyzyna¹,

Whish²,

Cheryl³

et al. 2016

vertebrate_pest_conference

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Norway rats cause extensive crop loss, infrastructure damage, and are vectors for zoonotic diseases. Due to growing efficacy, environmental, and animal welfare concerns related to traditional pest management tools, it is important to find new methods for controlling commensal rodents. Fertility control is emerging as a safe, humane, and effective method of long-term pest population management. SenesTech Inc. has developed an oral, liquid fertility management bait with two active ingredients: 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD) and triptolide. Previously, a 95% reduction in pups was observed through three breeding rounds when wild-caught Norway rats were caged in pairs and offered this bait for 50 days. Following these results, wild-caught Norway rats (n=6 males; n=15 females per group) were placed in open arenas, offered bait (in the presence of rat chow and water) ad libitum for 56 days, and allowed to breed for four rounds. Animals were bred within their treatment paired groups (control or treatment) for the first three rounds and then treatment cross-bred during the fourth round. Through three breeding rounds, 255 pups were born to control breeding pairs, compared to 12 pups born to treated breeding pairs. In the final round, 93 pups were born to control females paired with treated males and 80 pups were born to treated females paired with control males. A significant reduction in epididymis weight, and in testis weight and volume, was observed in treated males, while ovarian weight was reduced in treated females. These results indicate that fertility was dramatically reduced in wild caught Norway rats after consuming fertility management bait. Rats voluntarily consumed the treatment bait, and this free selection is essential for future field trials where the ability of the bait to reduce wild rat populations will be assessed in agricultural and urban settings.

show abstract

Liquid Fertility Management Bait Uptake by Urban Rats within New York City Subway Refuse Rooms

Cited by 6 publications

References 15 publications

ContraPest®, a New Tool for Rodent Control

ContraPest®, a New Tool for Rodent Control

The opportunity for sexual selection and the evolution of non-responsiveness to pesticides, sterility inducers and contraceptives

Free Ranging Wild-Caught Norway Rats Have Reduced Fecundity after Consuming Liquid Oral Fertility Bait Containing 4-Vinylcyclohexene Diepoxide and Triptolide

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About