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

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

He helped steer the company through the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as a 2024 outbreak of E. coli tied to onions served on the company’s Quarter Pounders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

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

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee