Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease caused by infection with Trypanosoma cruzi. The parasite is endemic to the Americas, including the Caribbean, where it is vectored by triatomine bugs. Although Chagas disease is not considered a public health concern in the Caribbean islands, studies in Trinidad have found T. cruzi-seropositive humans and T. cruzi-infected triatomine bugs. However, little is known about triatomine bug host preferences in Trinidad, making it difficult to evaluate local risk of vector-borne T. cruzi transmission to humans. To investigate this question, we collected triatomine bugs in Trinidad and diagnosed each one for T. cruzi infection (microscopy and PCR). We then carried out a blood meal analysis using DNA extracted from each bug (PCR and sequencing). Fifty-five adult bugs (54 Panstrongylus geniculatus and one Rhodnius pictipes) were collected from five of 21 sample sites. All successful collection sites were residential. Forty-six out of the 55 bugs (83.6%) were infected with T. cruzi. Fifty-three blood meal hosts were successfully analyzed (one per bug), which consisted of wild birds (7% of all blood meals), wild mammals (17%), chickens (19%), and humans (57%). Of the 30 bugs with human blood meals, 26 (87%) were from bugs infected with T. cruzi. Although preliminary, our results align with previous work in which P. geniculatus in Trinidad had high levels of T. cruzi infection. Furthermore, our findings suggest that P. geniculatus moves between human and animal environments in Trinidad, feeding opportunistically on a wide range of species. Our findings highlight a critical need for further studies of Chagas disease in Trinidad in order to estimate the public health risk and implement necessary preventative and control measures.

A 6-year-old male Pit bull mix dog presented for bleeding from the mouth persisting for five days. A clinical evaluation revealed a 2 × 3 cm soft tissue mandibular mass at the crown of the first premolar, as well as a non-regenerative anemia and hyperproteinemia. Cytologic and histopathologic evaluations of the mass were compatible with an oral plasmacytoma.

Backyard poultry farms in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) play a vital role in providing food and income for rural communities. There is currently no information on the presence and circulation of pathogens in backyard poultry farms in T&T, and little is known in relation to the potential risks of spread of these pathogens to the commercial poultry sector. In order to address this, serum samples were collected from 41 chickens on five backyard farms taken from selected locations in Trinidad. Samples were tested for antibodies to seven priority pathogens of poultry by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Antibodies were detected in 65% (CI 95%: 50–78%) of the sampled birds for Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), 67.5% (CI 95%: 52–80%) for Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), 10% (CI 95%: 4–23%) for Newcastle disease virus (NDV), 0% (CI 95%: 0–0%) for Avian influenza virus (AIV), 0% (CI 95%: 0–0%) for West Nile virus (WNV), 31.7% (CI 95%: 20–47%) for Mycoplasm gallisepticum/synoviae and 0% (CI 95%: 0–0%) for Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis. These results reveal the presence and circulation of important pathogens of poultry in selected backyard farms in Trinidad. The results provide important information which should be taken into consideration when assessing the risks of pathogen transmission between commercial and backyard poultry farms, as well as between poultry and wild birds.

Oryzoborus angolensis (Lesser Seed-Finch), Oryzoborus crassirostris (Large-billed Seed-Finch), and Sporophila intermedia (Grey Seedeater) are finch species native to the Caribbean island of Trinidad. These species are locally trapped and kept for their song, but with declining native populations, enthusiasts have turned to illegally importing birds from the South American mainland. The smuggling of wild birds from South America poses significant disease risks to the native bird species of Trinidad. Herein we describe the first case of poxviral infection in these illegally imported birds in Trinidad and partial genome sequence of the causative agent. Phylogenetic analysis of the 4b core protein sequence indicated that the avian poxvirus identified was most closely related to a 2012 avian pox sequence from Brazil, with 96.2% and 98.1% identity at the nucleotide and amino acid level.

Cascadura, (Hoplosternum littorale) is a delicacy in some countries; however, literature on this species is limited. This study aimed to identify gastrointestinal and hematological parasites and their potentially associated pathological effects in wild and farmed Cascadura in Trinidad. Samples of forty (40) wild and farmed Cascadura fishes were collected for this study. Morphometric measurements of whole fish and gastrointestinal tracts (GIT) were recorded. Blood smears were processed and stained with Wright’s Giemsa and GIT sections stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) and Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS). The gross anatomy and histological features of the GIT of the Cascadura were consistent with the fish belonging to the Callichthyidae family. Hematological parasites were found in 13 out of the 40 (32.5%) fishes (nine wild; four farmed): 6 of 13 belonged to Alternaria spp. (15%), 6 of 13 were protozoa (15%) and 1 of 13 (5%) was a blood fluke belonging to the family Aporocotylidae. Three gastrointestinal nematodes were found in three wild fish, one identified as an anisakid. Gastric and intestinal structures appeared normal; however, inflammatory cells were found in one wild fish with damaged villi and degenerated epithelium of the intestine.