Infections with tick-borne pathogens belonging to Anaplasma/Ehrlichia in various vertebrate hosts are a persistent problem resulting in nonspecific clinical signs during early infection. Diagnosis of single and multi-infections with these pathogens, causing diseases in companion/agricultural animals and people, remains a challenge. Traditional methods of diagnosis, such as microscopy and serology, have low sensitivity and specificity. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays are widely used to detect early-phase infections, since these have high sensitivity and specificity. We report the development and validation of an assay involving PCR followed by magnetic capture method using species-specific oligonucleotides to detect six Anaplasma/Ehrlichia species pathogens in canine, bovine, caprine, and ovine blood samples. Overall, the assay application to 455 samples detected 30.1% (137/455) positives for one or more out of six screened pathogens. Single-pathogen infections were observed in 94.9% (130/137) of the positive samples, while co-infections were detected in 5.1% (7/137). Anaplasma marginale infection in cattle had the highest detection rate (34.4%), followed by canines positive for Anaplasma platys (16.4%) and Ehrlichia canis (13.9%). The assay aided in documenting the first molecular evidence for A. marginale in cattle and small ruminants and Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Ehrlichia ewingii in dogs in the Caribbean island of Grenada.

Background and Aim: There is currently no published information on the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of commensal Escherichia coli in dogs of Grenada origin. Monitoring antimicrobial resistance helps in the empirical selection of antibiotics. This study determined the occurrence of E. coli including the O157:H7 serotype in feces of non-diarrheic dogs of Grenada origin and the antibiotic resistance pattern of the E. coli isolates. Materials and Methods: Fecal samples from 142 of the 144 (98.6%) dogs were culture positive for E. coli. Selection of up to three colonies from each of the 142 E. coli-positive samples yielded a total of 402 E. coli isolates, which were analyzed for the presence of non-sorbitol fermenting colonies, and O157-agglutination. Results: Of the 402 E. coli isolates, 30 (7.5%) were non-sorbitol fermenters. However, none of the 402 isolates gave a positive reaction (O157:H7) to the E. coli O157:H7 latex kit. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests against 12 antibiotics revealed low resistance rates to all the tested antibiotics except for tetracycline (Te) (23.4%), cephalothin (CF) (13.2%), and ampicillin (AM) (7.7%). Thirty-nine out of the 402 (9.7%), E. coli isolates were resistant to two or more antibiotics of different classes. Conclusion: This is the first report of isolation and antimicrobial susceptibilities of commensal E. coli from non-diarrheic dogs in Grenada. Some of the isolates (39/402 isolates, 9.7%) were resistant to multiple antibiotics. This study showed that presently, dogs in Grenada should not be considered a reservoir for the E. coli O157:H7 serotype and for multiple antibiotic-resistant E. coli strains. Among the 402 E. coli isolates, the resistance rate to drugs other than Te, CF, and AM was very low.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global health threat. This study investigated antibiotic resistance in E. coli isolates from municipal wastewater (86 isolates) and clinical urinary tract infection (UTI) cases (34 isolates) in a Grenadian community, using data from January 2022 to October 2023. Antibiogram data, assessed per WHO guidelines for Critically Important antimicrobials (CIA), showed the highest resistance levels in both clinical and wastewater samples for ampicillin, followed by amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and nalidixic acid, all classified as Critically Important. Similar resistance was observed for sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (highly important) in both groups, with nitrofurantoin showing resistance in the important category. According to the WHO AWaRe classification, ampicillin (ACCESS group) had the highest resistance, while nitrofurantoin had the lowest across all samples. The WATCH group antibiotics, cefuroxime and cefoxitin, showed comparable resistance levels, whereas aztreonam from the RESERVE group (tested only in wastewater) was 100% sensitive. Multiple Antibiotic Resistance (MAR) index analysis revealed that 7% of wastewater and 38.2% of clinical samples had MAR values over 0.2, indicating prior antibiotic exposure in clinical isolates. These parallel patterns in wastewater and clinical samples highlight wastewater monitoring as a valuable tool for AMR surveillance, supporting antibiotic stewardship through ongoing environmental and clinical assessment.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has resulted in substantial global morbidity and mortality since its emergence in late 2019. This retrospective study aims to determine the comorbidity patterns, co-occurrence networks, and associated demographic factors among 244 deceased COVID-19 cases in Grenada between 2021 and 2022. The prevalence of comorbid conditions varied considerably across diseases. Hypertension was the most frequently observed condition (41%) followed by diabetes (34.8%), and ARDS (27%). Our co-occurrence analysis revealed a densely interconnected core of cardiometabolic and respiratory conditions, particularly involving hypertension, diabetes, and ARDS. Stratified clustering analyses demonstrated that multimorbidity patterns were broadly consistent across gender but differed by age group and vaccination status, with older individuals showing more pronounced clustering of cardiometabolic conditions. Logistic regression analysis further identified age and gender as significant factors associated with the distribution of specific comorbidities, including higher odds of hypertension among older individuals. This study highlights the central role of cardiometabolic diseases and older age in COVID-19 mortality in Grenada in 2021–2022 and underscores the importance of multimorbidity structures rather than isolated conditions. We suggest early identification of high-risk multimorbidity profiles, particularly among older adults, to improve clinical management and preventive strategies during future infectious disease outbreaks.

SARS-CoV-2 is a highly contagious virus that infects humans, wildlife, domesticated and farmed animals. An increase in SARS-CoV-2 variants and human–animal interactions could have implications for the global maintenance and perpetuation of the virus. This study aimed to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection in dogs and cats living in households with and without SARS-CoV-2-positive owners by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in Grenada. This cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2020 to April 2022 from dogs (139) and cats (22) in households (96) in Grenada. Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs were taken from the dogs and cats to detect SARS-CoV-2. qRT-PCR tests were performed targeting the E and RdRP genes, respectively. Notably, 12% (17/139) of dogs and 23% (5/22) of cats tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The positive animals were found in 17 (18%) households, all with at least one positive individual. No positive cases of pets were detected in households without infected humans. A statistically significant association (p < 0.0001) was observed between humans with SARS-CoV2 and their pets. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed evidence of a relationship between the Grenadian SARS-CoV-2 E gene and other SARS-CoV-2 E gene sequences available in the NCBI database. This study confirmed the concurrent SARS-CoV-2 human/companion animal infection from households in Grenada. Humans and pet animals were positive synchronously; however, the direction of transmission from pets to humans or vice versa remains unknown. This study suggests that pets could play a role in the maintenance, transmission, and prolongation of infection of human-adapted pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2.