Pesticides derived from the compound coumarin have been used since the 1950s to kill rodent pests. In response, rats and mice have been developing resistance. Simone Rost of the University of Würzburg in Germany and her colleagues have now identified 18 new resistance mutations in rodents from four continents.
Warfarin and other coumarin-derived substances work by repressing the enzyme VKOR, which is essential to blood coagulation. The mutations were in the gene Vkorc1, which codes for a key component of this enzyme, in the majority of 250 rodents trapped in areas where anti-coagulants are used.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Genetics: Rodent resistance. Nature 457, 938–939 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/457938f
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/457938f
