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

---

Etymology

Origin of Escherichia

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Escherichia

Detailed stool analysis pointed to several bacterial species as key contributors, including Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 13, 2026

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

Escherichia coli is a common bacterium which is often harmless but can cause serious infections.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 29, 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