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Urinary tract infections are caused by undercooked meat [1]

['Séamus Bellamy']

Date: 2025-11-06  

Urinary tract infections are caused by undercooked meat. Nope, your ears aren't painted on; you heard that right. According to a recent study, if it burns with the intensity of a dying star when you pee, it could be because of that ribeye you polished off last night. Considering what you've been eating could be worthwhile, especially if you're getting UTIs on a regular basis.

Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) is the leading cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs) worldwide and may be transmitted from food animals to humans via contaminated meat. However, the contribution of zoonotic ExPEC strains to UTIs in metropolitan areas remains unclear. We estimated the proportion of UTIs attributable to zoonotic ExPEC across eight Southern California counties. Between 2017 and 2021, we collected 12,616 E. coli isolates from retail meat and 23,483 from UTI patients, sequencing a representative subset of 5,728 isolates. Using a Bayesian latent class model trained with 17 host-associated genetic markers, we inferred the host origin of each isolate. Demographic, clinical, and antimicrobial resistance profiles were compared between meat isolates and clinical isolates inferred to be of human or food-animal origin. Most UTI patients were female (88%), with a median age of 50 years; 37% were Hispanic and 31% non-Hispanic white. Zoonotic ExPEC strains accounted for 18% of UTIs overall, rising to 21.5% in high-poverty neighborhoods. Women had a higher zoonotic proportion than men (19.7% vs 8.5%, P < 0.001). Among men, those with zoonotic infections were older than those with non-zoonotic infections (median 73.0 vs 65.0 years, P = 0.028). 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 short of it is that they created a large sample group over a series of years and came to the conclusion that ordering a rare hamburger could make it hurt when you have a whiz. The good news is that UTIs no longer carry the stigma they once did—especially in light of research like this — and are relatively easily treatable. If you think you have one, don't put up with it: get yourself to a doctor or nurse practitioner and have it sorted out. Life's already a heartbreak. Anything you can do to feel a little bit better is a win.

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[1] Url: https://boingboing.net/2025/11/06/urinary-tract-infections-are-caused-by-undercooked-meat.html

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