It is commonly believed that urinary tract infection, a common condition among women across the world, is caused by sexual relations or kidney stones.
However, a new US study has suggested that nearly one in five UTIs in Southern California may be caused by strains of bacteria Escherichia coli that originated in food-producing animals.
For the research, a team of scientists at George Washington University and Kaiser Permanente Southern California conducted molecular analysis of nearly 6,000 extraintestinal pathogenic E coli isolates that were collected from UTI patients and retail meat samples from stores in the neighborhoods where those patients lived.
The study, published in the journal mBio, used comparative genomic analysis and a model to infer the host origin of each isolate, thereby finding that 18 per cent of the UTIs were linked to ExPEC strains that came from the meat. It was also discovered that UTIs in those who lived in high-poverty neighborhoods were 60 per cent more likely to be caused by these zoonotic strains.
“These findings underscore the contribution of zoonotic ExPEC to the UTI burden in Southern California and the need for targeted interventions to reduce risk in vulnerable communities,” the study authors wrote.
E. coli is usually associated with foodborne illnesses
Foodborne E coli is usually associated with gastric issues like food poisoning, diarrhoea, and vomiting. But this study suggests that foodborne ExPEC strains that enter the urinary tract are an underappreciated cause of the 8 million UTIs diagnosed each year in the United States.
Scientists say most of the UTIs are mild and easily treatable, but they can progress to more serious infections – including life-threatening sepsis if the infection gets into the bloodstream. “When most people hear E coli, they think about diarrhea and these dramatic foodborne outbreaks,” the scientists wrote. “But the kind that kills the most people is the extraintestinal pathogenic E coli, the kind that lives in the gut with no symptoms. If it gets in the urinary tract, it has these special features that allow it to cause disease.”
What is UTI?
A urinary tract infection happens in your urinary system, which involves your:
- Urethra
- Kidneys
- Bladder
Urine is a byproduct of your blood-filtering system, which your kidneys perform. Your kidneys create pee when they remove waste products and excess water from your blood. Pee usually moves through your urinary system without any contamination. However, bacteria can get into your urinary system, which can cause UTIs.
Signs and symptoms of UTI
A UTI causes inflammation in the lining of your urinary tract, leading to symptoms like:
- Pain in your flank, abdomen, pelvic area, or lower back
- Pressure in the lower part of your pelvis
- Cloudy and foul-smelling pee
- Urinary incontinence
- Frequent urination
- Urge incontinence
- Pain when you pee
- Blood in your pee
- Feeling extremely tired
- High fever and chills
- Mental changes or confusion