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Introduction: Safety of the environment in which vegetables are grown, marketed and consumed is paramount as most are eaten raw. Irrigation sources include open drains and streams, which are often contaminated with human and animal waste due to poor sanitation infrastructure. In irrigated vegetable farms using such sources in Ghana, we assessed Escherichia coli counts, antibiotic resistance patterns and resistant genes on irrigated lettuce., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between January-May 2022, involving five major vegetable farms in Ghana., Results: Escherichia coli was found in all 25 composite lettuce samples analyzed. Counts expressed in CFU/g ranged from 186 to 3000, with the highest counts found in lettuce irrigated from open drains (1670) and tap water using hose pipes (3000). Among all bacterial isolates, resistance ranged between 49% and 70% for the Watch group of antibiotics, 59% for the Reserved group and 82% were multidrug-resistant. Of 125 isolates, 60 (48%) were extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing, of which five (8%) had the bla TEM -resistant gene., Conclusions: Lettuce was contaminated with Escherichia coli with high levels of antibiotic resistance. We call on the Ghana Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Food and Drugs Authority and other stakeholders to support farmers to implement measures for improving vegetable safety.

With safely managed water accessible to only 19% of the population in Ghana, the majority of its residents are at risk of drinking contaminated water. Furthermore, this water could be a potential vehicle for the transmission of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. This study assessed the presence of bacteria and the antibiotic resistance profile of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in drinking-water sources using membrane filtration and Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion methods. A total of 524 water samples were analyzed for total coliforms, total heterotrophic bacteria, E. coli and P. aeruginosa . Samples included sachets, bottled water, tap water, borehole and well water. Most of the sachet and bottled water samples were within the limits of Ghana's standards for safe drinking water for the parameters tested. Over 50% of tap and borehole water was also free of E. coli and P. aeruginosa . Overall, of 115 E. coli isolates from tap and ground water samples, most were resistant to cefuroxime (88.7%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (62.6%) and amoxicillin-clavulanate (52.2%). P. aeruginosa isolates were most resistant to aztreonam (48%). Multidrug resistance was predominantly seen among E. coli isolates (58%). Evidence from this study calls for routine antimicrobial resistance surveillance in drinking water across the country and additional treatment of water sources at household levels.