A new study has found contaminated meat can be linked to urinary tract infections (UTIs), especially in low-income neighborhoods.
UTIs are bacterial infections in the urinary tract. Extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli, or E. coli that infects a person outside of their gastrointestinal tract, is the leading cause of UTIs worldwide, according to experts.
In a study published in the mBio journal Thursday, researchers sought to find out just how much E. coli transmitted from contaminated meat is connected to UTIs.
From 2017 to 2021, researchers collected thousands of individual strains of E. coli from retail meat and UTI patients across eight Southern California counties, and determined nearly one in five, or 18 percent of, UTIs were linked to E. coli strains of animal origin.
A new study has found contaminated meat can be linked to urinary tract infections (UTIs), especially in low-income neighborhoods (iStock/Getty Images)
E. coli strains were most commonly found in chicken and turkey.
Researchers also found socioeconomic status was a risk factor in the population they studied, with 21.5 percent of UTIs linked to the E. coli strains in high-poverty neighborhoods.
“Urinary tract infections have long been considered a personal health issue, but our findings suggest that they are also a food safety problem,” Lance B. Price, senior author of the study and George Washington University professor, said in a news release from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
E. coli strains were most commonly found in chicken and turkey (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
“This opens up new avenues for prevention, especially for vulnerable communities that bear a disproportionate burden. This is why we should be investing more, not less, in research about the social determinants of health. Your risk of infection should not depend on your ZIP code.”
The study also found women were “significantly” more likely to have E. coli strains from animal origins than men, and among men, older men were more vulnerable.
The AAAS gave some tips to prevent UTIs from contaminated meat, such as buying meat and poultry that is securely sealed so it doesn’t leak onto your other groceries. People should also cook their meat and poultry thoroughly and wash their hands and surfaces after handling raw meat.