In The News ... Urinary Tract Infections May Come from Pets --- or is it the other way around?

A recent article from Reuters suggests that we may be picking up bacteria, specifically E. coli, from our pets that may lead to urinary tract infections. The article referenced research, published in Journal of Infectious Diseases, which found the same strains of E. coli among humans and pets living in the same households.

We often hear from clients that their dogs and cats drink from the toilet. So we are not surprised if the same strains of E.coli in human urinary tract infection are found in their pets. Whereas, we find it unlikely that people would clean the litter box or mop up an accident then go eat without washing their hands first.

Unless further studies suggest otherwise, we recommend the usual good oral hygiene, i.e. wash your hands after handling pets’ wastes and routinely disinfect counters and food-prep surfaces if your pets (esp. cats) have free access to them. And in light of this article, if you have a urinary tract infection, keep the toilet seat lid down.

It will be interesting as more studies are done to clarify the direction of the transmission. Until then, it is misleading and presumptuous to conclude that humans may be getting urinary tract infections from pets and not the other way around.