Canadian Poultry Magazine

Quebec Study Suggests Link Between E.Coli from Chicken and Infections in Women

By Helen Branswell the Canadian Press   

Features Profiles Researchers

February 17, 2012 – A new study suggests chicken meat may be a source of E. coli bacteria that is making its way into people and causing infections.

February 17, 2012 – A new study
suggests chicken meat may be a source of E. coli bacteria that is making
its way into people and causing infections.

The study looks at strains of E. coli in poultry and compares them to the strains found to have been causing urinary tract infections in women in Quebec.

Advertisement

Senior author Amee Manges of McGill University says the bacteria would be killed if the meat is handled with care and cooked properly, but that isn't always the case.

She says a comparison of strains from food animals and people suggests poultry and to a lesser extent pork are serving as a reservoir for these bacteria, which can cause blood or urinary tract infections in people, or diarrhea.

Manges says some of the strains being spotted are resistant to multiple antibiotics, a worrying trend.

She says the findings add weight to concerns that the use of antibiotics in food animals is contributing to the rise in drug-resistant infections in people.

The study is being published in the March issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.


Print this page

Advertisement

Stories continue below