Many things can cause urinary tract infections (UTIs). A UTI can be incredibly painful. Common causes are poor hygiene, inability to fully empty the bladder, sexual activity and other factors. Some people are more prone to UTIs than others.
New research from George Washington Univ. and Kaiser Permanente Southern California found that almost one in five UTIs in Southern California come from meat contaminated with E. coli. The study collected more than 5,700 bacteria samples from people with UTIs and retail meat samples in the same areas. They found that 18 percent of UTIs were linked to E. coli from meat, most often chicken or turkey.
The researchers believe it may be a “hidden foodborne risk to millions of people” in the U.S. Women and older people were impacted the worst. People in low-income areas were 60 percent more likely to get a foodborne UTI than folks in wealthier neighborhoods.
Prof. Lance Price of George Washington Univ. was the senior author of the study. He said that UTIs are often “considered a personal health issue. But our findings suggest that they are also a food safety problem. This opens up new avenues for prevention, especially for vulnerable communities that bear a disproportionate burden.”
E. coli is usually thought of in association with gastrointestinal illnesses. However, strains impact the body in different ways. Some can enter the urinary tract and cause painful infections. A UTI can cause sepsis if it enters the bloodstream.
“When most people hear E coli, they think about diarrhea and these dramatic foodborne outbreaks,” said Prof. Price. “But the kind that kills the most people are the extraintestinal pathogenic E coli, the kind that live in the gut with no symptoms. If it gets in the urinary tract, it has these special features that allow it to cause disease.”
Prof. Price believes that UTIs are caused by E. coli from meat all around the country, not just in Southern California, where the samples were taken from. He said that, for safety, people should assume that all meat they buy is contaminated and cook it thoroughly. Kitchen surfaces and hands should also be washed well after preparing raw meat. And, meat should always be kept separate from other groceries to avoid contamination.
The study did have a silver lining. The E. coli that came from meat was more receptive to antibiotics, and the infections were easier to treat. In recent years, the FDA has limited the use of antibiotics in livestock. That means the bacteria coming from the meat were less antibiotic-resistant, and the infections were easier to take care of.
