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Reckitt & Colman of Hull claims a breakthrough in pest control (GB 2 329
125). The rat poison warfarin, which has been used for 40 years, works by
hindering blood clotting so the animals start haemorrhaging. In the 1970s, rats
started to develop resistance to the poison, but inventor Richard Poch thinks
this may not be genetic, as previously assumed. He says bacteria in the rats’
stomachs metabolise the warfarin before it can act. The patent proposes adding
an antibiotic to the warfarin to kill the bacteria, leaving the warfarin to do
its job as before.