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coliform bacteria

British  
/ ˈkɒlɪfɔːm /

plural noun

  1. a large group of bacteria inhabiting the intestinal tract of humans and animals that may cause disease and whose presence in water is an indicator of faecal pollution

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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Despite being widely trusted, bottled water was six times more likely to test positive for coliform bacteria than other water sources.

From Science Daily • Jan. 23, 2026

Many of the violations were for unsafe levels of arsenic or coliform bacteria.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 15, 2025

In 2009, high levels of fecal coliform, bacteria like E. coli associated with human and animal waste, led the state to halt shellfish harvests on the upper third of the river.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2023

No one ultimately reported getting sick, although the new report states that the water collected at one hydrant on the day the alert went out tested positive for coliform bacteria.

From Washington Post • Aug. 16, 2018

In the first three weeks after the county’s health advisory, the health department lab processed almost 1,000 water samples, testing 451 for nitrate and 448 for coliform bacteria.

From Washington Times • May 15, 2017

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