Pathophysiologie des Herzens

The Veterinary Cardiac Pathophysiology Consortium (VCPC) is an interdisciplinary group of veterinarians at the Universities of Zurich (Switzerland), Guelph (Canada), Helsinki (Finland), Naples (Italy) and Valencia (Spain). The group consists of clinical cardiologists and pathologists that combine their complementary expertise to gain further insight into the pathophysiology of cardiac diseases in animals.

Current research projects focus on acquired cardiac diseases in dogs and cats and the influence of systemic diseases on the heart. We also have an interest in the effect of sex and age on the constitutive gene and microRNA profiles in the heart as a basis for physiological cardiac homeostasis throughout the animals’ life, to identify factors that may predispose a pet to cardiac disease and the heart’s response to systemic influences. Most recently we also developed an interest in the myocardial vasculature during the remodelling processes, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a tool to identify myocardial changes.

Common acquired cardiac diseases in dogs are degenerative valvular disease and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), cats frequently present with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). All these diseases are of adult onset, a genetic aetiology with incomplete penetrance is suspected, and mutations have been identified for some dog and cat breeds. Similar to human medicine, these mutations affect sarcomere function and energy metabolism. However, the pathogenesis of the diseases is not yet completely understood. The association between mutation, the observed functional defects and the development of microscopic changes characteristic for the diseases, and the factors involved in disease development, presentation and progression is mostly unknown.

Little is known about the role of sex on cardiac remodelling and cardiac disease presentation and progression in cats. Furthermore, information about systemic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, and obesity, known comorbidities in human cardiology, and common in the aging pet population, influence the heart is limited.

We additionally investigate inflammatory and immune-mediated mechanisms of myocardial injury, including virus-associated (e.g., FIV) and autoimmune processes, as contributors to cardiac disease.

Combining clinical and pathological aspects of cardiac and systemic diseases allows a diversified approach to investigate the relevance of clinical findings for the progression of cardiac diseases and the influence of systemic diseases on cardiac structure and function.

Current research projects include:

• Studies on the pathogenesis of feline HCM, (For a recent webinar series by our group on the topic, see https://www.cabmm.uzh.ch/en/news-1/Feline-hypertrophic-cardiomyopathy-recordings.html

  

• Myocardial gene and microRNA profiles in cats with and without HCM,
• Age- and sex-related structural and functional myocardial variations in cats,
• The role of obesity, nutrition and diabetes mellitus on the canine and feline heart;
• Cardiac MRI in cats with and without cardiomyopathy,
• The impact of decompression sickness on the heart of sea turtles.

The VCPC group leaders are:

Sonja Fonfara, Dr med vet, PhD, PGCertHE, FHEA, MRCVS, CertVC, DECVIM-CA (Cardiology), a cardiologist with strong interest in sex, age and disease associated myocardial changes and how these translate into clinical practice. Sonja Fonfara is Professor at the University of Guelph where she is a member of the Centre for Cardiovascular Investigations (CCVI, http://www.uoguelph.ca/CardiovascularResearch/) and collaborates with other members of the CCVI (Drs. S Raheb, J Dawson, J Simpson), the Department of Pathobiology (Dr. J Caswell), Psychology (Dr. D Powell), the School of Engineering (Dr H Li) and the Ontario Veterinary College nutrition service (Dr A Verbrugghe).

Anja Kipar, Prof. Dr. med. vet., DiplECVP, FRCPath, FVH & FTA (Pathologie), ECVP-CFVP, a veterinary pathologist with a strong interest in the immunopathological effect of infectious and non-infectious diseases on the myocardium, Francesco Prisco, DVM, PhD, DiplECVP, a veterinary pathologist who comes from the field of muscle pathology. His current project investigates the relationship between cardiomyocytes and microvessels in feline HCM. The team in Zurich focuses on pathomorphological aspects and pathomechanisms of companion animal cardiac diseases, with particular emphasis on feline HCM, integrating advanced image analysis and artificial intelligence-based approaches for quantitative histopathological assessment. The pathologists work closely with the clinical members of the group in Zurich, in the case based approach to the pathophysiological questions.

Marco Baron Toaldo, PD, DVM, PhD, DECVIM-CA (cardiology), is a cardiologist interested in clinical research in small animals, focusing on imaging modalities, like echocardiography, advanced software-based imaging analysis, and cardiac MRI. Other fields on research are prognostic factors for cardiac diseases, treatment strategies, and feline arrhythmology.

Nora Schreiber, Dr. med. vet., DECVIM-CA (cardiology), is a cardiologist interested in clinical research in small animals, focusing on feline echocardiography, pericardial and valvular disease, and canine myxomatous mitral valve disease.

Both Dr. Baron Toaldo and Dr. Schreiber work at the Small Animal Clinic at the Vetsuisse Faculty Zurich (https://www.tierspital.uzh.ch/kleintierkliniken/kardiologie/team-kardiologie/) where they are responsible for managing dogs and cats with congenital and acquired cardiac diseases.

Orlando Paciello, PhD, Ms Infectious Diseases, Full Professor of Autopsy and Diagnostic Techniques at the University of Naples Federico II (Italy), and an expert in muscle pathology. His research focuses on inflammatory myopathies and cardiomyopathies in animals as models for human disease, and within the VCPC he investigates myocardial involvement in FIV-associated myopathy.

The group is complemented by two postgraduate students, in Zurich, and 8 in Guelph. In Zurich and Guelph, the VCPC also offers Master projects for veterinary under- and postgraduate students with an interest in cardiac pathology.

Our research has received financial support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC), Pet Trust at the University of Guelph, the Center for Applied Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine (CABMM) at the University of Zurich, European Society of Veterinary Cardiology (ESVC) and the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Clinical Studies Fund (ECVIM-CA CSF).

Relevant recent publications

Prisco F, Luchian A, Baron Toaldo M, Ressel L, Fonfara S, Kipar A, 2026. The myocardial microvasculature plays a key role in the pathogenesis of feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, 14 January. Preprint. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8465409/v1.

Schreiber N, Prisco F, Kipar A, Schurna L, Tursi M, Baron Toaldo M, 2025. Valvular mitral stenosis in adult cats: knowledge gained from the clinical and pathological workup of 18 cases. J Vet Cardiol. Jun;59:98-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvc.2025.03.006.

Prisco F, Vaccaro E, Cardillo L, Fusco G, Papparella S, Santoro P, Fonfara S, Kipar A, Paciello O, 2025. Inflammatory myopathy and myocarditis are relevant complications of natural feline immunodeficiency virus infection. Vet Pathol. Nov;62(6):928-938. https://doi.org/10.1177/03009858251338849.

Pires A, Sears W Raheb S, Fonfara S, 2025. Interobserver repeatability of interventricular septal wall measurements in cats. J Vet Cardiol 62, 17-24

Joshua J, Caswell J, Kipar A, O’Sullivan L, Wood G, Fonfara S, 2025. Integrated microRNA–mRNA sequencing analysis identifies regulators and networks involved in feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Int J Mol Sci 26(14), 6764. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26146764.

Schurna L, Joshua J, Monné Rodríguez J, Prisco F, Baron Toaldo M, De Neck S, Baggio F, Fonfara S, Kipar A, 2025. Selected Pathway Analyses to Gain Mechanistic Insights into the Pathogenesis of Feline Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Int J Mol Sci 26(13), 6497. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26136497.

Joshua J, Caswell J, Monné-Rodriguez J, Kipar A, O’Sullivan L, Wood G, Fonfara S, 2023. MicroRNA profiling of the feline left heart identifies chamber-specific expression signatures in health and in advanced hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. J Mol Cell Cardiol Plus 4, 100037. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmccpl.2023.100037.

Joshua J, Caswell J, O'Sullivan ML, Wood G, Fonfara S, 2023. Feline myocardial transcriptome in health and in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy – a translational model for human disease. PLoS One 18, e0283244. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283244.

Colpitts ME, Caswell JL, Monteith G, Joshua J, O'Sullivan ML, Raheb S, Fonfara S (2022). Cardiac gene activation varies between young and adult cats and in the presence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Res Vet Sci 152, 38-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2022.07.007.

Monné Rodriguez JM, Fonfara S, Hetzel U, Kipar A, 2022. Feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: reduced microvascular density and involvement of CD34+ interstitial cells. Vet Pathol 59(2): 269-283. https://doi.org/10.1177/03009858211062631.

Fonfara S, Kitz S, Hahn S, Kipar A, 2021. Myocardial transcription of inflammatory and remodeling markers in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and systemic diseases associated with an inflammatory phenotype. Res Vet Sci. 136, 484-494. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2021.03.027.

Gasparini S, Fonfara S, Kitz S, Hetzel U, Kipar A, 2020. Canine dilated cardiomyopathy: diffuse remodeling, focal lesions and the involvement of macrophages and new vessel formation. Vet Pathol 57(3):397-408. https://doi.org/10.1177/0300985820906895.

Prisco F, Papparella S, Paciello O, 2020. Correlation between cardiac and skeletal muscle pathology in animal models of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. Acta Myol. Dec 1;39(4):313-319. https://doi.org/10.36185/2532-1900-035.