Meat-borne E. coli linked to high UTI rates in US, study shows.

Over half a million urinary tract infections (UTIs) in the US every year are caused by E coli bacteria found in meat, according to a new study. The study found that between 480,000 and 640,000 UTIs could be linked to strains known as FZECs, or food-borne zoonotic E coli. The bacteria is generally found in livestock, and reducing UTIs caused by meat-borne E coli strains would help reduce deaths from E coli bloodstream infections, which kill between 36,000 and 40,000 people every year in the US.