18 Percent of UTIs Attributable to Zoonotic E. Coli Strains

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 29, 2025 (HealthDay News) — About 18 percent of urinary tract infections (UTIs) are attributable to zoonotic extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) strains, according to a study published online Oct. 23 in mBio.

Maliha Aziz, from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and colleagues estimated the proportion of UTIs attributable to zoonotic ExPEC across eight Southern California counties. A total of 12,616 E. coli isolates were collected from retail meat and 23,483 from patients with UTI, sequencing a representative subset of 5,728 isolates. The host origin of each isolate was inferred using a Bayesian latent class model trained with 17 host-associated genetic markers.

The researchers found that overall, zoonotic ExPEC strains accounted for 18 percent of UTIs, increasing to 21.5 percent in high-poverty neighborhoods. The zoonotic proportion was higher among women than men (19.7 versus 8.5 percent). Among men, those with zoonotic versus nonzoonotic infections were older (median, 73 versus 65 years).

“Urinary tract infections have long been considered a personal health issue, but our findings suggest that they are also a food safety problem,” coauthor Lance B. Price, from George Washington University, said in a statement. “This opens up new avenues for prevention, especially for vulnerable communities that bear a disproportionate burden. This is why we should be investing more, not less, in research about the social determinants of health.”

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