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

See Examples For:

E. coli

After a 2022 bout of E. coli poisoning at Wendy’s, the stock fell 13% over six weeks but rebounded 25% over the next couple of months.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Of these, 16 proved effective at killing E. coli bacteria.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Researchers tested ruptoblasts against E. coli bacteria, human kidney cells, and mouse blood cells.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

In comparison, an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s in 2024 infected around 100 people.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Officials were concerned about the spread of E. coli, the risk of typhoid fever, cholera, dysentery.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers