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Rodent control programmes in areas affected by Bolivian haemorrhagic fever.

Bolivian haemorrhagic fever (BHF) caused by Machupo virus is acquired by contact with the excretions and secretions of Calomys callosus, an indigenous cricetine rodent which is preadapted to peridomestic habitats. It competes successfully with Mus musculus, but not with Rattus rattus. A successful disease control programme has functioned in Beni Department since 1964. It is based on trapping surveys and the detection of splenomegaly in Calomys rodents as an index of chronic virus infection. Mass trapping and poisoning are used initially, and regular trapping is employed to control Calomys populations in towns where disease has occurred. More than 1000 cases of BHF were recorded from 1960-1964, but less than 200 in the past 10 years. The cost of this programme is approximately $30 000 annually.

Animals

Problems associated with the control of rodents in tropical Africa.

As elsewhere in the world, rodents are responsible for very considerable economic losses in tropical Africa because of their depredations on both growing crops and stored food products. Unfortunately, few accurate data are available on the extent of these losses but there is evidence that they are considerable. The public health importance of rodents, both as reservoirs and vectors of disease in tropical Africa, is also great; plague, leptospirosis, murine typhus, and Lassa fever are among the diseases associated with rodent hosts. Scientifically based rodent control programmes have been carried out in very few areas of Africa and there is urgent need for studies and demonstrations on rodent control in both urban and rural areas. The problems likely to be encountered are reviewed and methods of control proposed.

Africa

Prospects of chemosterilant and genetic control of rodents.

This paper discusses some requirements of an ideal rodent chemosterilant, analyses the advantages of chemosterilants over other control methods, and compares the potential values of chemosterilants that affect females, males, and both sexes. Examples are given of specific situations where chemosterilants will be valuable in rodent control, together with suggested methods of applying them. The theory and practicability of using genetics in rodent control are also discussed. Neither the chemosterilant nor the genetic method is expected to become a panacea, but their eventual application will be a significant advance in rodent-control technology. Since both approaches are based on sound biological principles and are relatively safe, they should be helpful in regulating rodent populations in the future.

Animals

Prospects for biological control of rodent populations.

Pathogens and predatory animals are the main agents used for the biological control of rodents. The pathogens that have been used are of the genus Salmonella; none is rodent-specific and all can cause severe infection in man and domestic animals. Furthermore, rodents frequently develop immunity to, and become carriers of, these organisms, and there is little to commend their use, except in lightly populated areas where control is infrequently applied. The relationships of five predator species with their rodent prey have been examined. The monitor lizard, mongoose, and ferret were for different reasons found to be unsatisfactory, and there is not yet sufficient evidence to warrant further releases of the Japanese weasel. Domestic and feral cats control rodents well in some situations but only after some other agent has removed a large part of the rodent population.

Animals

Control of rickettsial diseases.

Prevention of rickettsial infections is aimed at individual control and epidemic measures (especially in epidemic typhus), vector and rodent control, milk pasteurization (in Q fever), chemoprophylaxis and immunoprophylaxis. In vector and rodent control, the main obstacle is the rise in resistance to insecticides and rodenticides. For this reason in vector control, apart from insecticides, enhancement of the natural immunity acquired by animals in response to tick infestation and vaccination with concealed tick antigens as well as the use of hormones, chemosterilants and genetic manipulation can also be considered. For short-term high-risk exposure, doxycycline may be an effective prophylaxis of illness but may not prevent infection with scrub typhus or spotted fever group rickettsiae. At present, for specific prevention by vaccination, only Q fever vaccines are available for common use. However, development of subunit vaccines, namely immunogenic rickettsial proteins, cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, seems to be very promising.

Animals