Myocardial lipidosis with erucic acid

The occurrence of myocardial lipidosis in piglets fed diets that contain HEAR oil is by no means a consistent finding. Canadian scientists have shown that in pigs fed a diet containing 15% HEAR oil with an erucic acid content of 21%, there was no histological evidence of lipidosis, and there were not any dietary related lesions in muscle, liver, or spleen (Aherne et a/., 1975). A second study reported a year later by the same group with a HEAR oil of 34% erucic acid also failed to show evidence of myocardial lipidosis (Aherne et a/., 1976). 

Ratanasethkul et al. (1976) fed chickens, ducks, and turkeys high and low erucic acid rapeseed oil, soybean oil, and a lard/corn oil control diet. All the ducks and some of the chickens fed the HEAR oil diet (36% erucic acid) died with hydropericardium and ascites. Myocardial lipidosis was present in all species fed the HEAR oil and the severity of the lipidosis (as judged by oil red O staining) decreased with time on diet. In ducks, they found thickening of the epicardium and myocardial fibrosis. Granulomas characterized by giant cells and histiocytic infiltration were present in some of the hearts of turkeys fed the HEAR oil. 

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