A case of Pearsonema eggs in the urine sediment of a cat in Trinidad.

Nematodes of the urinary tract of domestic dogs and cats are a rare occurrence. The discovery of the eggs on urine sediment examination is usually an incidental finding. A twenty-one month old intact queen presented to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital with a history of a serosanguinous vaginal discharge and reddish colour urine for the last ten days. Complete blood count and biochemistry analysis revealed an inflammatory leukogram and a hyperproteinaemia. A urogenital tract infection was diagnosed as haematuria, pyuria, bacteriuria, proteinuria and alkaline urine were evident on urinalysis examination. Microscopic examination of the urine sediment also detected eggs with asymmetrical bipolar plugs characteristic for Pearsonema species. A distended uterus as well as a raised lesion in the mucosal layer of the urinary bladder were observed with ultrasonography. A routine ovariohysterectomy was performed. The cat was also treated with ivermectin and amoxicillin. The cat improved with the eventual resolution of the red colour urine and serosanguinous vaginal discharge.

Impact of chronic disease assistance program on the retail pharmacy sector: A retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impacts of chronic disease assistance program (CDAP) on economic parameters, human resource and pharmacy structure and pharmaceutical care on the retail industry in Trinidad and Tobago. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A partially perceptual retrospective investigation was carried out in 60 pharmacies from all regions (North East, North West, Central and South) in Trinidad. Questionnaires were distributed to all pharmacists of the each pharmacies indicated above. The validated questionnaires were distributed, over a period of approximately 2 weeks. Pharmacists employed at each pharmacy were asked to complete the questionnaire which consisted of 11 questions based on the three aspects of investigation. A five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree) was used. Information from the completed questionnaires was tabulated in Microsoft Excel and the respective percentages and proportions were generated. RESULTS: From the 60 pharmacies, 61% (n=37) believed that there was a decrease in sale of original brands while more than half of the respondents [53% (n=32)] believed there was an increase in sale of generics. The 60% (n=36) respondents viewed that there was compromised dispensary sale of original brands while 65% (n=39) felt there was increased orders for generic drugs. Of the CDAP prescriptions, it was disclosed that there was an overall increase in CDAP prescriptions from the year 2005-2008. A medium-scale pharmacy disclosed 1801 prescriptions in 2005, 2265 prescriptions in 2006, 3002 prescriptions 2007 and 3344 prescriptions in 2008 with overall increase in each year. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of CDAP can explain the phenomenal increase in sale of generics drugs and the decrease in the sale of brands. There is a need for such a program in the developing countries.