Contaminated meat responsible for rise in common urinary tract infections, experts warn

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can be painful and sometimes common, especially in women and older people.

UTIs can occur with the introduction of bacteria, such as E. coli, into the system, which can be caused by poor hygiene, sexual activity, inability to fully empty the bladder and other factors, according to experts.

New research from the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health and Kaiser Permanente Southern California has estimated that nearly one in five UTIs in Southern California is due to meat contaminated with strains of E. coli.

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The researchers proposed that this poses a “hidden foodborne risk to millions of people” across the United States, as noted in a news release.

In the study, which was published in ASM Journals, researchers collected more than 5,700 individual E. coli samples from patients with urinary tract infections, as well as retail meat samples in the same neighborhoods.

A genomic modeling approach was used to estimate whether each bacterial strain originated in humans or animals.

It was determined that 18% of UTIs were related to E. coli strains of animal origin, known as foodborne UTIs. The highest risk strains were found most frequently in chicken and turkey.

“This is just one example of dangerous pathogens spreading to people through the food supply.”

Residents living in low-income neighborhoods had a 60% higher risk of foodborne UTIs compared to those in wealthier areas. Women and the elderly were the most affected.

According to the researchers, more research is needed to “distinguish foodborne transmission from other possible exposures” and investigate other areas and types of infection.

Bloodstream infections were not evaluated in this study, which is important to monitor how UTIs progress to more dangerous infections, such as sepsis.

Lance B. Price, lead author of the study and professor of environmental and occupational health at George Washington University, commented in a statement that urinary tract infections “have long been considered a personal health problem.”

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“But our findings suggest that they also represent a food safety problem,” he continued. “This opens new avenues for prevention, especially for vulnerable communities who bear a disproportionate burden.”

Price suggested that this problem occurs throughout the United States, even though this first study was conducted in Southern California.

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In an interview with News Digital, the professor added that the UTI rate in this region was more than double what had been detected in a previous study in Arizona.

“This is just one example of dangerous pathogens spreading to people through the food supply,” he said.

“They should also demand that food safety be a national priority; it is impossible to make Americans healthy and at the same time make them sick with foodborne pathogens,” he said.

George Washington researchers plan to explore interventions that could reduce the risk of foodborne infections.

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In the meantime, to prevent illness, Price recommends that people always assume that raw meat and poultry are contaminated with bacteria and take precautions in the kitchen.

Safe practices include purchasing meat and poultry that are well sealed, which can prevent leaks to other foods.

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All meat and poultry should be cooked thoroughly, experts advise, and cross-contamination in the kitchen should be avoided. Hands and surfaces should be washed after preparing raw meat.

News Digital reached out to several US meat associations for comment, including the National Chicken Council (NCC) and the National Turkey Federation (NTF).