Experts have revealed that failure to wash hands after leaving the bathroom is more likely to spread drug-resistant E. coli than consuming raw or under-cooked meat. According to the study, the potentially fatal bacterium’s “likeliest route” is through human poop particles, which generally spreads through poor bathroom hygiene. Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigated nearly 3,000 cases of Escherichia coli. Researchers pinpoint one type — Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli — as one that is particularly difficult to treat. “Rather — and unpalatably — the likeliest route of transmission for ESBL-E.coli is directly from human to human, with fecal particles from one person reaching the mouth of another,” said University of East Anglia professor David Livermore, whose study is published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. “Infections caused by ESBL-E. coli bacteria are difficult to treat. And they are becoming more common in both the community and hospitals,” said Livermore. “Mortality rates among people infected with these super-bug strains are double those of people infected with strains that’re susceptible to treatment.”