LOS ANGELES — Nearly one in five urinary tract infections may be caused by E. coli bacteria transmitted through contaminated meat, according to a four-year study that reframes the common infection as partly a food safety issue.

The research, published in the journal mBio, analyzed more than 5,700 bacterial samples in Southern California from UTI patients and grocery store meat in the same neighborhoods between 2017 and 2021. Researchers estimated that 18% of infections came from E. coli strains that originated in food-producing animals.

The findings suggest this hidden foodborne risk could affect millions nationwide. About 8 million UTIs are diagnosed annually in the United States.

UTIs occur when bacteria enter the urethra and infect the urinary tract, according to the Centers for Di

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