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Mutating mice becoming growing problem in Philadelphia, researchers say
6abc Philadelphia • • health
Key Points:
- A Rutgers University study found that about 70% of mice populations in Philadelphia and other major cities have developed mutations allowing them to survive common poisons, indicating rapid evolution.
- While rats are not mutating in the same way, they are adapting by avoiding traps and other extermination methods, making pest control increasingly challenging.
- Pest control professionals report that treatments are taking longer to work, leading to higher demand for services and continuous work schedules.
- Experts emphasize the need to reduce pesticide use, improve prevention and sanitation efforts, and develop new pest control formulations, though creating new active ingredients is a slow and costly process.
- Rodent evolution in response to pesticides has been ongoing for about 40 years, but recent U.S. research is shedding new light on the issue and prompting calls for further study.
