E. coli

American  

[ee koh-lahy] / ˈi ˈkoʊ laɪ /

noun

Bacteriology.

1. Escherichia coli: a species of rod-shaped, facultatively anaerobic bacteria in the large intestine of humans and other animals, sometimes pathogenic.

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E. coli British  

/ ˌiːˈkəʊlaɪ /

noun

1. short for Escherichia coli; see Escherichia

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E. coli Scientific  

/ ēkō′lī /

1. A bacillus (Escherichia coli) normally found in the human gastrointestinal tract and occurring in numerous strains, some of which are responsible for diarrheal diseases. Other strains have important experimental uses in molecular biology.

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Etymology

Origin of E. coli

See Escherichia coli ( def. )

Example Sentences

“Even within the food program, food chemical issues have largely taken a backseat to more traditional food safety issues, like food pathogens, E. coli and foodborne illness outbreaks.”

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2026

Genome sequencing of E. coli isolated from each patient found that the strains were closely genetically related, suggesting that all of the ill people were exposed to the same source of infection.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

The DC Water spokeswoman said that historically E. coli levels in the Potomac and Anacostia rivers vary widely and that levels reported downstream “cannot be attributed solely to this incident.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

Participants received a small injection of UV-killed E. coli bacteria in the forearm.

From Science Daily • Feb. 19, 2026

E. coli can survive by feeding on two very different kinds of sugars—glucose and lactose.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee