New evidence uncovered of a strong link between meat eating and urinary tract infections

A sexually active woman will most likely suffer from a urinary tract infection (UTI) at least once in her life, and many women have repeated bouts of this uncomfortable, potentially dangerous ailment.

On January 21, 2010, researchers in Canada reported that they have uncovered a strong link between UTIs and chicken sold in supermarkets, restaurants and other retail outlets. McGill University researcher Amee Manges collected samples in the Montreal area for two years in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada and the University of Guelph.

Manges' findings show that, while eating contaminated meat or food does not lead directly to a UTI, E. coli can live in the intestine and travel from the anal area to the vagina and urethra during sexual intercourse, leading to infection. Health workers have known this connection for a long time, but now the question is whether livestock is passing along antimicrobial-resistant bacteria to humans.

Farmers use antibiotics to prevent disease in their animals and to enhance growth, which may lead to the livestock developing resistance to the medication. Once the animals are slaughtered, meat can become contaminated during processing.

Manges advises the public to cook meat thoroughly and to be very careful about cross-contamination in the kitchen. She says that although some infections caused by E. coli are resistant to some antibiotics, the infections can still be treated by a physician.

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