Could that chicken you’re eating cause a UTI?
A recent study gave genetic evidence connecting bacteria in meat to some urinary tract infections. Does that mean you should abstain from eating meat?
No, said Cape Cod Urologist Brian Kowal, MD. But further genetic testing may provide guidance on regulation of the meat industry, he said.
“The article was not meant to warn people from eating meat to avoid urinary tract infections,” he said.
Escherichia coli (or E. coli) bacteria live in the intestines of humans and animals and are part of a healthy digestive tract, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are thousands of strains, some of which can cause diarrhea, sepsis and other diseases. Disease-causing strains can be spread through contaminated food, water and human and animal contact. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can occur when E. coli or other pathogens from the intestines get into the urethra.
What the article in the journal OneHealth did demonstrate was genetic components from strains of E. coli bacteria found in isolates of chicken, turkey and pork from food markets in the Flagstaff, AZ, area showed up in isolates of human blood and urine samples processed at the large clinical laboratory serving the area.
In their article, researchers said existing evidence backs the idea that E. coli from food animals likely causes some UTIs, but how many of those infections originated in this way hadn’t been determined. They estimated 8 percent of E. coli found in their human samples originated in meat, and extrapolated that contaminated meat was the source of more than 480,000 UTIs in the United States each year.
The researchers also found the strains of E. coli from meat differed from other strains in their resistance or susceptibility to various antibiotics. They suggested their method of genetic analysis might be used to see which E. coli strains pose the greatest health risks and provide information to help shape public policy.
Genetic Analysis Now Available
Dr. Kowal said his office in Hyannis now uses DNA testing to tell which bacteria are causing an infection. DNA is the molecule in cells that carries genetic information. Correctly identifying the culprit organism means an antibiotic specific to treating it can be promptly prescribed.
The new method is much faster than the old way of culturing a urine sample, and can detect some organisms beyond bacteria, such as trichomoniasis, which is caused by a protozoan, he said. When his office was using cultures, checking for trichomoniasis would have required a separate test, Dr. Kowal said. DNA testing also can identify chlamydia, gonorrhea, Mycoplasma hominus, Mycoplasma genitalia and Ureaplasma urealyticum, he said.
When a culture was used to determine the bacteria that was causing the infection, “the fastest we’d get a culture with results is 48 hours,” he said.
“Now, it’s a few hours,” he continued. “If you come in the morning, we can have a prescription in the afternoon.”
Research has changed how physicians view microorganisms in the urinary tract, he said. It was once believed that urine was sterile. Now it’s thought the bladder may have its own microbiome that helps regulate a healthy state, much like the gut.
More studies of the connection between food-borne bacteria and UTIs are needed, Dr. Kowal said.
“Maybe it will lead to ways to avoid infection,” he said.
