Overview
- A peer-reviewed mBio study estimates that 18% of UTIs in the study population were caused by animal‑origin E. coli linked to retail meat.
- Investigators paired more than 5,700 E. coli isolates from UTI patients and local grocery meat (2017–2021) and applied a host‑origin genomic model using specific genetic markers.
- Poultry emerged as the primary reservoir, with contamination found most often in chicken (about 38%) and turkey (about 36%), exceeding rates in beef and pork.
- People in low-income neighborhoods faced roughly a 60% higher risk of foodborne UTIs, with women and older men noted as especially vulnerable in the study.
- Authors recommend leak‑proof meat packaging, thorough cooking, strict avoidance of cross‑contamination, and handwashing, and they call for expanded surveillance, supply‑chain controls, and validation in other regions and infection types.