Scientists warn that undercooked meat can cause hundreds of thousands of urinary tract infections every year.
Previous studies have shown that E. coli causes up to 90% of all urinary tract infections.
But the researchers found that roughly 8% were derived from latent strains of E. coli in raw meats like chicken and turkey.
These bacteria can live in the gut before entering the urinary tract, causing painful symptoms such as side or back pain, chills, and chills.
Escherichia coli causes approximately 6 to 8 million urinary tract infections each year in the United States.
In the UK, urinary tract infections are thought to result in 7 million GP consultations each year. According to the National Institute of Health and Excellence (NICE), E. coli is the “most common cause.”
Researchers at George Washington University collected blood and urine samples from E. coli-infected local hospitals in an Arizona city.
They then compared this to animal-based food strains of E Coli found in brands available for raw chicken and turkey at nine major grocery chains.
The meat was chosen because it was most likely identified as a carrier of E. coli bacteria that cause urinary tract infections.
The researchers reported in the journal One healthApproximately 8% of clinical E. coli isolates in our population are foodborne zoonotic strains.
The scientists said that vaccinating animals against the most dangerous strain of E. coli could be one way to prevent bacteria from entering food.
“The accurate identification of strains implicated in recent animal-to-human adverse events is critical to developing targeted intervention strategies in animal feed populations,” the researchers added.
Lance Price, professor of environmental and occupational health at George Washington University, added: “On an individual level, I would say that anyone who is already at risk of contracting a UTI should be careful when handling raw meat, especially poultry. raw meat products. And if they’re not flushed enough, which can be difficult, E. coli can go straight into the urinary tract.”
He added: “Our study provides compelling evidence that dangerous strains are transmitted from food animals to humans through food and cause disease in humans.”
However, the scientists also acknowledged some of the study’s limitations, including single site dependence. “Therefore, the generalizability of the results is unknown,” they said.
The level of E. coli from meat that causes urinary tract infections was also assessed without including beef, so the number of cases of FZEC may not have been reported, which limited the results.
The experts also did not include “isolates from domestic animal species” including cats and dogs, which prevented them from evaluating their potential role in the transmission of E. coli strains.
These strains of bacteria are commonly found in the intestines of humans and animals and are usually harmless.
However, if certain strains enter vulnerable parts of the body, such as the urinary tract — a generic term for the bladder, kidneys, and associated tubes — it can lead to debilitating and often serious infections.
Antibiotics are the most common treatment followed by drinking plenty of water to flush the bacteria out of the body.
But some urinary tract infections can also lead to more serious kidney infections. Symptoms include fever, chills, back pain, nausea or vomiting, and life-threatening blood infections.
Source: Daily Mail
