The authors sincerely thank the livestock farmers and abattoir staff who generously participated in this study. Their cooperation, openness, and support during sample collection were invaluable to the success of the research.
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Ethical approval
Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Scientific and Technical Committee and the Institutional Review Board of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana (Reference number: NMIMR-IRB103/17-18).
Consent to participate
All food samples were purchased at the point of sale, except for pork. Pork and pig fecal matter samples were collected from slaughterhouse owners who voluntarily provided informed consent for sampling.
Consent to publication
Not applicable.
Availability of data and materials
Data sets are available on request.
Funding
This study was funded by The Science for Africa Foundation to the Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training and Science in Africa (DELTAS Africa) program (Afrique One-ASPIRE), [Del-15-008 and Afrique One-REACH, Del-22-011] with support from Wellcome Trust and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office which is part of the EDCTP program supported by the European Union. The funding sources had no role in the study design; the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; the writing of the report, or the decision to submit the article.
Open Exploration maintains a neutral stance on jurisdictional claims in published institutional affiliations and maps. All opinions expressed in this article are the personal views of the author(s) and do not represent the stance of the editorial team or the publisher.
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