Rigor Mortis
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- Muscles remain biochemically active after the death of an animal
- Following a period of relaxation, contraction and stiffening occurs
- Due to deficiency of ATP releasing myosin heads from their binding sites at end of power stroke
- Onset faster in ATP deprived animals (starvation, hunting, tetanus...)
- May be absent in cachetic animals
- Disappears due to autolysis or putrefaction
- See general pathology
- Damage occured at one time, e.g. trauma or one toxin exposure
- Multiphasic lesions - different stages as described above
- Ongoing damage, e.g. vitamin E - selenium deficiency, continuous exposure to toxin