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.

---

E. coli British  

/ ˌiːˈkəʊlaɪ /

noun

1. short for Escherichia coli; see Escherichia

---

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.

---

Etymology

Origin of E. coli

See Escherichia coli ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

E. coli

The system is designed to reduce contamination by pathogens such as E. coli and salmonella.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

In 2015, the company voluntarily recalled a celery-and-onion blend used in a rotisserie chicken salad at Costco due to potential E. coli contamination.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

Now it’s looking only for Salmonella and E. coli.

From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026

The researchers studied a biofilm made up of E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

“Did you know you can get E. coli from salmon? It can kill you.”

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi