Experimental cobalt cardiomyopathy

Abstract An animal model for cobalt-induced cardiac disease is reported. Cardiac lesions involving the pericardium, the myocardium, and the endocardium were produced in guinea pigs by oral administration of 20 mg. per kilogram per day of cobalt. Light and electron-microscopic features and electrocardiographic findings of experimentally produced cobalt lesions were strikingly similar to those observed in Quebec beer drinkers' cardiomyopathy. Addition of 2 Gm. of ethyl alcohol to the cobalt regimen failed to modify the incidence or the severity of the disease.