monensin and Drug-Overdose

The use of monensin premix in dairy cows: Simple and essential steps for ensuring its proper use. Dietary monensin, containing monensin sodium as active ingredient, is frequently used on dairy farms in Canada. Although the use of monensin is safe, some overdose situations have been reported following consumption of higher than recommended doses. A regular monitoring of bulk tank milk fat percentage should be performed to ensure quick detection of a potential overdose situation. Diarrhea and sudden drop in dry matter intake are other potential clinical signs of monensin overdose. Quick detection of such cases will allow rapid correction of the situation.(Translated by the authors).

Topics: Animals; Cattle; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Overdose; Energy Intake; Female; Ionophores; Lactation; Milk; Monensin

The effect exerted by overdosage of monensin, an ionophore antibiotic, on the lipid peroxide status of broiler chickens was studied. Three-week-old broiler cockerels were given 150 mg monensin/kg body mass through a tube, and the malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and catalase activity of the liver and breast muscle, and MDA concentration and GSH-Px activity of the blood plasma were determined. Liver MDA and catalase values rose rapidly and significantly during the experimental period. GSH-Px activity initially decreased, then tended to rise. Blood plasma and breast muscle variables did not change during the experiment. Acute monensin poisoning induced substantial enhancement of lipid peroxidation processes in the liver, while it did not appreciably affect the lipid peroxide status of the blood plasma and breast muscle. The role of the observed phenomenon in the rather complex pathogenesis of monensin poisoning is not known sufficiently. Further studies are needed to elucidate the problem.

Topics: Animals; Catalase; Chickens; Drug Overdose; Lipid Peroxidation; Male; Malondialdehyde; Monensin; Poultry Diseases