New research suggests that contaminated meat may be an overlooked source of urinary tract infections. Analysis of urine samples from Southern California patients and meat from local grocery stores showed that nearly 1 in 5 UTIs could be traced back to E. coli bacteria found in chicken, turkey, pork, or beef. While E. coli is already known to be behind the majority of UTIs in the US, NBC News reports, the specific strains linked to food are not the same ones usually blamed for the stomach bugs commonly associated with contaminated meat.
The study, published Thursday in mBio, points to cross-contamination in home kitchens as a key problem, with bacteria from raw or undercooked meat making its way from the gut to the urinary tract. One of the authors, Lance Price of George Washington University, said he's been concerned about the bacteria he routinely found in poultry for years, describing the issue as overlooked because it didn't cause the usual symptoms of food poisoning. "If it didn't cause diarrhea, it was being ignored," Price said.
The research found that chicken and turkey had the highest contamination rates, and that people in lower-income neighborhoods faced a 60% higher risk—possibly due to poorer storage or packaging at grocery stores, per CBS News. Price and his colleagues say better packaging and stricter regulation could reduce the problem, and they recommend thorough hand-washing and careful handling of raw meat at home. UTIs can have serious health consequences if untreated, but the origin of the bacteria doesn't change how doctors treat the infection. "This opens up new avenues for prevention," Price said.
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