Acute monensin toxicosis in sheep: light and electron microscopic changes.

Monensin was administered orally to 3 sheep at dosages of 12 (the LD50), 16, and 24 mg/kg of body weight, respectively. Clinical signs of monensin toxicosis were observed in the sheep in 24 to 36 hours of administration. Clinical signs included CNS depression, anorexia, diarrhea, and stiffness. Increased serum creatine phosphokinase and aspartate aminotransferase activities identified possible muscle damage. Sheep were euthanatized at 54 hours after dosing; at necropsy, there were skeletal muscle hemorrhages, pale myocardium, and pulmonary edema. Ultrastructural lesions were in the liver, diaphragm, and myocardium; diaphragm and myocardium were most severely affected. Mitochondrial swelling and cristolysis, swollen sarcoplasmic reticulum, and disruption of myofibrillar architecture were prominent. These ultrastructural changes are consistent with the hypothesis that monensin causes muscle cell necrosis due to its ionophorous properties and disruption of cellular Na+:Ca2+ balance. It is proposed that this upset of normal ionic processes allows increased intracellular calcium, which directly leads to the functional and structural mitochondrial changes observed.