Desmin as a possible immunohistochemical marker for feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Desmin has been suggested as a possible histopathological marker for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in humans. To test whether a similar pattern of desmin staining applies to HCM in cats, we conducted an immunohistochemical study on myocardial samples from 13 cats (HCM 4, other cardiomyopathies (OCM) 4, and control 5). The pattern of staining for desmin in HCM cats was not the same as that reported in humans, but was weaker than in OCM cats and controls. This suggested that desmin may be a possible histochemical marker for feline HCM, but our data was insufficient to clearly confirm this.