Undercooked meat could be responsible for one in 14 UTIs, scientists say – World Time Todays

Undercooked meat can be responsible for hundreds of thousands of urinary tract infections (UTIs) every year, scientists warn.

Previous studies have shown that E. coli causes up to 90 percent of all UTIs.

However, researchers have found that about 8 percent comes from it E-coli strains lurk in raw meats like chicken, turkey, and pork.

These bacteria can live in the gut before entering the urinary tract and causing distressing symptoms like side or back pain, tremors, and chills.

E. coli causes approximately 6 to 8 million UTIs in the United States annually.

E. coli bacteria can live in the gut before entering the urinary tract and causing distressing symptoms like side or back pain, tremors and chills. E. coli causes approximately 6 to 8 million UTIs in the United States annually

Researchers at George Washington University found that about 8 percent of all UTIs in the United States come from strains of E. coli, which lurk in raw meats like chicken, turkey and pork

In the UK, urinary tract infections account for 7 million visits to the doctor each year. According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), E. coli is “the most common cause.”

George Washington University researchers collected blood and urine samples of E. coli infections from local hospitals in an Arizona city.

They then compared this to foodborne zoonotic E. coli strains found in available brands of raw chicken, turkey and pork at nine major grocery chains.

The meats were chosen because they were identified as most likely carriers of E. coli, which causes urinary tract infections.

Researchers wrote in the journal One Health that “approximately 8 percent of clinical E. coli isolates in our population appear to be foodborne zoonotic strains.”

The scientists said vaccinating animals against the most dangerous strains of E. coli could be a way to prevent the bacteria from entering the food supply.

“The accurate identification of strains involved in recent animal-to-human transmissions is critical for the development of targeted intervention strategies in livestock populations,” the researchers added.

Lance Price, professor of environmental and occupational medicine at George Washington University, added: “On an individual level, I would say that anyone who is already prone to UTIs should take extra care when handling raw meat, especially poultry.

“If people handle raw meat products and don’t wash themselves properly – which can be difficult – then the E.coli could be introduced directly into the urogenital tract.”

He added: “Our study provides compelling evidence that dangerous strains make their way from feeder animals to humans through the food supply and make people sick – sometimes really sick.”

However, the scientists also acknowledged several limitations of the study, including its reliance on a single site.

“Hence, the generalizability of the results is unknown,” they said.

The rate of E. coli from meat causing UTIs was also assessed without including beef, so the number of FZEC cases may have been underreported, limiting the results.

The experts also didn’t include “isolates from domestic species” including cats and dogs, preventing them from assessing their potential role in transmission of E. coli strains.

Bacterial strains are typically found in the intestines of humans and animals and are usually harmless.

However, when certain strains get into sensitive parts of the body like the urinary tract — a collective term for the bladder, kidneys, and the tubes that connect them — they can lead to debilitating and often dangerous infections.

Antibiotics are the most common treatment, followed by drinking plenty of water to flush bacteria from the body.

But some UTIs can also lead to more serious kidney infections; Symptoms include fever, chills, back pain, nausea or vomiting, and life-threatening blood infections.

Every year more than a million Britons – 80 per cent of them women – develop a urinary tract infection and experience an extremely burning sensation when urinating.

Older people are more at risk because the bladder functions less well with age and may not empty completely, leaving bacteria in the urinary tract.

Studies show that one in ten women over the age of 65 has suffered a urinary tract infection in the past year.

For women over 85, it’s nearly three in ten. In older patients, the infections can trigger delirium.

They can also lead to sepsis, which results in about 10,000 deaths annually.