Escherichia

noun

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

Word Origin for Escherichia

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

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escherichia in Medicine

Escherichia

[ĕsh′ə-rĭk′ē-ə]

n.

A genus of aerobic, gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria widely found in nature; one species, Escherichia coli, which normally occurs in human and animal intestines, can cause urogenital tract infections and diarrhea in infants and adults.