Urinary tract infections, or UTIs, are one of the most common infections in women. Although they are not typically considered "outbreak" diseases, it is likely that a cluster of UTIs resulting from the same drug-resistant strain of the bacterium E. coli came from a single source, such as a food animal.

Between October 1999 and January 2000, a single strain of E. coli was discovered to be responsible for drug-resistant UTIs in university communities in California, Minnesota, and Michigan. Researchers studied nearly 500 specimens of E. coli obtained from non-human sources such as cows, turkeys, dogs, sheep, and water. They found that one-quarter of the specimens were microbiologically indistinguishable from comparable human strains of E. coli. A more refined test showed that, of the drug-resistant specimens, one from a cow had a 94 percent similarity to a UTI-causing human strain of E. coli. The researchers concluded that the cause of the outbreak was probably foodborne.

Bacterial drug resistance due to unnecessary antibiotic usage is a growing problem in health care, according to many experts. "People just have to be more conscious of when to use antibiotics for which infections," said lead author Lee W. Riley, MD, of the University of California-Berkeley. "Sometimes the use of these drugs may not be necessary." However, when drug-resistant organisms originate in animals, "there's not much people can do" to combat the increasing drug resistance, he added. Instead, foodborne illnesses are best avoided by smart food preparation. "The consumer has to be aware that foods can be infected and has to be careful in preparing food" by cooking it thoroughly, Dr.
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Contact: Steve Baragona
sbaragona@idsociety.org
703-299-0412
Infectious Diseases Society of America
3-Jan-2005