Keep getting urinary infections? Meat From Your Grocery Store Could Be To Blame

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) have long been associated with sexual activity and personal hygiene. However, a new study has found that nearly one in five cases of urinary tract infections are caused by E.coli bacteria in contaminated meat.

The link between E. Coli and urinary infections

Between 2017 and 2021, researchers collected thousands of E.coli samples of human urine and retail meat in Southern California. They compared the DNA of E.coli in meat to that present in urine samples to identify infections linked to contaminated meat.

“There are special pieces of DNA that E.coli can get into their cells that help them survive, or even thrive, inside a chicken gut, and different pieces of DNA to help them survive or thrive in a human gut,” said Lance B. Price, MS, PhD, lead author of the study and professor of environmental and occupational health at George Washington University.

Researchers found that 18% of UTIs studied were linked to bacteria from meat rather than human-to-human transmission. People in low-income areas face an even higher risk, with 21.5% of UTIs linked to food sources.

Although the study focused on Southern California, the results are almost entirely generalizable to the rest of the United States, Price said.

“Animals are slaughtered, cut up and shipped across the United States. If you think about it this way, the meat that people are exposed to in California is the same meat that people are exposed to across the country,” he added.

How does raw meat cause urinary tract infections?

Urinary infections usually occur when E.coli Bowel enters the urinary tract through the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body. To help prevent these infections, experts recommend urinating after sex, wiping from front to back, and choosing showers over baths.

The new findings suggest that food safety habits may also play a role in preventing UTIs.

It is important to avoid cross contamination in the kitchen. If you cut raw meat and green salads on the same cutting board, you risk swallowing E.coli meat when you eat the salad raw. From there, bacteria can easily travel to your gut and then to the urinary tract, Price said.

“It is also possible that people are not cleaning their hands completely and that by going to the toilet they could introduce the bacteria directly into the urogenital tract,” he added.

Higher UTI rates in low-income areas

Although researchers haven’t studied direct causes, several factors likely explain why people living in low-income areas are at greater risk for foodborne UTIs.

Unlike stores in affluent neighborhoods, stores in low-income areas don’t always package meat well, which can contribute to cross-contamination with raw meat juices on other products in the cart or bag, Price said.

Even if people avoid cross-contamination at the grocery store, they may be exposed to bacteria at home. A 2017 study of 100 homes in a low-income Pennsylvania neighborhood linked lack of cleaning supplies to E.coli contamination.

“If you barely have enough to eat, you’re not spending your money on paper towels, cleaning supplies, or cutting boards,” 2017 study author Jennifer Quinlan, PhD, professor and executive director of the Food Safety Research Center at Prairie View A&M University, told Verywell.

How to Reduce Your Risk of Foodborne UTIs

There are several ways to reduce the risk of foodborne UTIs from contaminated meat: wash your hands frequently with soap and water, store meat at 40°F or colder in the refrigerator, and cook raw meat straight from the package rather than rinsing it with water.

“Our research found many pathogens on dish towels, sponges or in the kitchen sink – this is a very common place if you’re rinsing raw meat,” Quinlan said.

To kill germs, clean sinks with a commercial disinfectant liquid or a mixture of bleach and water, wash dishcloths on high heat, and place damp kitchen sponges in the microwave for one to two minutes.