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Background: Clinical infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogenic bacteria are associated with increased morbidity and mortality, imposing a severe economic burden. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a gram-negative bacterium, had demonstrated a prominent level of acquired antimicrobial resistance to its selective antimicrobials. Currently, there is no updated information about the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Grenada. Hence, the present study aimed to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of P. aeruginosa from the clinical isolates of dogs in Grenada. Methods: This retrospective study used the diagnostic reports from January 2015 to December 2022. The diagnostic microbiology laboratory reports of canine patients at the Small Animal Clinic of St. George’s University in Grenada were analyzed to study the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of P. aeruginosa. Result: Among the various bacterial clinical isolates, ninety-one clinical samples were positive for P. aeruginosa. The antimicrobial susceptibility test pattern of these isolates revealed susceptibility to gentamicin (95.6%), ceftazidime (96.7%), imipenem (97.7%) and ciprofloxacin (97.8%). The result of the present retrospective study illustrates that P. aeruginosa isolates from canine patients in Grenada are susceptible to the recommended antimicrobial drugs. However, this study also revealed the recent development of progressive antimicrobial resistance. This mandates the judicious use of antibacterial drugs against bacterial infections in Grenada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leptospirosis is a spirochetal disease caused by Leptospira spp. bacteria with global distribution affecting multiple mammalian species, including humans. The disease is endemic in many geographic areas and is of particular concern in tropical regions with abundant rainfall, such as the Caribbean. Currently, there are no published reports on Leptospira exposure or infection in Grenadian cat populations, and the role of cats in the epidemiology of the disease is unknown. Our hypothesis is that Grenadian cat population may be a reservoir host for zoonotic Leptospira on the island. During 2019–2021, 160 feral cats were captured from three parishes in Grenada, and their urine and blood were tested for Leptospira. Urine from 4 of 148 (2.7%) cat samples tested PCR-positive for Leptospira. Serum from 6 of 136 (4.4%) cat samples tested PCR-positive for Leptospira. Sequence analysis of the Leptospira rpoB gene showed 86–100% similarity to known or presumed pathogenic Leptospira species. The findings of this study suggest that Grenadian cat populations are infected with and are shedding Leptospira genotypes that are phylogenetically related to known pathogenic Leptospira, including known zoonotic strains. These observations support the hypothesis that Grenadian cat populations may be a reservoir host for zoonotic Leptospira on the Island. Author summary: Leptospirosis caused by pathogenic strains of Leptospira spp. is one of the most widespread zoonoses of humans and infections in animals. Rodents are considered the main reservoir hosts of Leptospira. The role of cats in the epidemiology of zoonotic Leptospira is not well-understood. Several recent studies confirm that cats can be infected by Leptospira, seroconvert, and shed spirochetes in their urine. Renal carriage and urine shedding can persist in cats even after clearance of the organism from the blood. There are few reports of human leptospirosis in Grenada. However, there are no published reports on Leptospira exposure or infection in Grenadian cat populations, and the role of cats in the epidemiology of the disease is unknown. We hypothesize that Grenadian cat population may be a reservoir host for zoonotic Leptospira on the island. The results show that feral cats are likely to be important reservoirs of pathogenic Leptospira spp. and a source of leptospirosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcocystis miescheriana infection is an important cause of carcass condemnation during meat inspection. The infection can cause morbidity and mortality in domestic pigs. In this study, an 8‐month‐old finisher pig was presented to a local abattoir for slaughter. Multiple white nodular lesions affecting the meat were observed, resulting in the condemnation of the carcass. Consequently, half of the carcass was submitted to the necropsy diagnostic laboratory in the School of Veterinary Medicine for further evaluation. Grossly, all superficial and deep muscle groups had severe multifocal macrocysts (3 mm × 2 mm × 1 mm) on the surface and extending deep into the skeletal musculature. Histopathology revealed moderate multifocal granulomatous and eosinophilic myositis with intralesional degenerated and intact parasites. Sample genomic DNA sequence analysis of the 18S RNA gene showed 100% identity to S. miescheriana in the GenBank. This is the first report of S. miescheriana in Grenada, West Indies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background African trypanosomes are extracellular protozoan parasites that are transmitted between mammalian hosts by the bite of an infected tsetse fly. Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) or sleeping sickness is caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense or T. brucei gambiense, while African Animal Trypanosomiasis (AAT) is caused mainly by T. vivax, T. congolense, T. simiae,T. evansi and T. brucei brucei. Trypanosomiasis is of public health importance in humans and is also the major constraint for livestock productivity in sub-Saharan African countries. Scanty information exists about the trypanosomiasis status in Ghana especially regarding molecular epidemiology. Therefore, this study intended to apply molecular tools to identify and characterize trypanosomes in Ghana. Methods A total of 219 tsetse flies, 248 pigs and 146 cattle blood samples were collected from Adidome and Koforidua regions in Ghana in 2010. Initial PCR assays were conducted using the internal transcribed spacer one (ITS1) of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) primers, which can detect most of the pathogenic trypanosome species and T. vivax-specific cathepsin L-like gene primers. In addition, species- or subgroup-specific PCRs were performed for T. b. rhodesiense, T. b. gambiense, T. evansi and three subgroups of T. congolense. Results The overall prevalence of trypanosomes were 17.4% (38/219), 57.5% (84/146) and 28.6% (71/248) in tsetse flies, cattle and pigs, respectively. T. congolense subgroup-specific PCR revealed that T. congolense Savannah (52.6%) and T. congolense Forest (66.0%) were the endemic subgroups in Ghana with 18.6% being mixed infections. T. evansi was detected in a single tsetse fly. Human infective trypanosomes were not detected in the tested samples. Conclusion Our results showed that there is a high prevalence of parasites in both tsetse flies and livestock in the study areas in Ghana. This enhances the need to strengthen control policies and institute measures that help prevent the spread of the parasites.

The article highlights an analysis and comparison of the genetic diversity of the MSA-1 gene among B. bovis isolates in the cattle populations in Thailand, Brazil and Ghana. Topics discussed include the collection of DNA samples, the various testing methods used for the analysis and comparison, and the results of B. bovis detected among Brazilian, Ghana, and Thai cattle populations. Also mentioned is the highly conserved MSA-1 sequences discovered in Thailand.

The article discusses a study that examined bovine DNA samples originating from various countries across Asia, Africa and South America using the Apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA-1) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. An overview of the Babesia ovata as an intraerythrocytic protozoan parasite of cattle is presented. It discusses the collected samples used in the study, the AMA-1 PCR assay conducted in the study, and the survey results obtained from the study.

The article presents the study which examined the genetic diversity among Trypanosoma (Duttonella) vivax strains from Zambia and Ghana in order to determine the epidemiology and possible control of the disease called trypanosomosis. In the study, cattle blood samples from the two countries were screened using specie-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing analysis. Based on the study, there is distinct diversity between T. vivax genotypes.

The authors comment on the emergence of babesiosis as an infectious threat in transfusion medicine. Babesiosis is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Babesia. It is endemic primarily in the Northeast and upper Midwestern U.S. The authors discuss the status of current blood-banking safeguards against babesiosis, available tests that detect Babesia and pathogen reduction and inactivation technologies that work for Babesia.