Escherichia

British  

/ ˌɛʃəˈrɪkɪə /

noun

1. a genus of Gram-negative rodlike bacteria that are found in the intestines of humans and many animals, esp E. coli , which is sometimes pathogenic and is widely used in genetic research

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Etymology

Origin of Escherichia

C19: named after Theodor Escherich (1857–1911), German paediatrician who first described E. coli

Example Sentences

The microbe used by Stephen Wallace, professor of chemical biotechnology at the University of Edinburgh, was Escherichia coli, better known as E. coli.

From BBC • Sep. 25, 2025

Water quality samples collected near the Camp Richardson Resort revealed elevated levels of Escherichia coli, commonly known as E. coli, according to the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 2, 2025

Some bacteria, like Escherichia coli, are becoming increasingly resistant to conventional antibiotics and developing into what are known as "superbugs."

From Science Daily • Nov. 25, 2024

They found 79 disrupted bacterial membranes and 63 specifically targeted antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.

From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2024

In 1940, an experiment on the simplest of organisms—a microscopic, capsule-shaped, gut-dwelling bacterium named Escherichia coli—provided the first crucial clue to this question.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee