Urinary Tract Infections Possibly Linked to Chickens

According to new research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), chickens may possibly be to blame for the majority of urinary tract infections (UTI) in the US.

According to the researchers, after analyzing genomes of the bacteria in women with UTIs, the strains of E. coli in the women matched strains of E. coli found in retail chicken meat.  Something to note, the bacteria did not come from any contamination during the preparation process, but from the chicken itself.

More than 8 million women are at risk of bladder infections because superbugs, which are resistant to antibiotics and that are growing in chickens, are being transmitted to humans in the form of E. coli.

80% of all antibiotics sold in the US are fed to livestock and chickens to protect them from disease caused by their cramped living quarters.

Source:
Fox News
ABC News

Shared with:  the healthy home economist