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Escherichia coli

American  
[esh-uh-rik-ee-uh koh-lahy] / ˌɛʃ əˈrɪk i ə ˈkoʊ laɪ /

noun

Bacteriology.
  1. E. coli.


Etymology

Origin of Escherichia coli

From New Latin; named after Theodor Escherich (died 1911), German physician + coli, genitive singular of Latin colon “large intestine,” used as a specific epithet for Escherichia; see -ia colon 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The authors add, "Escherichia coli Nissle 1917's tumor colonization synergizes with Romidepsin's anticancer activity to form a dual-action cancer therapy."

From Science Daily Mar. 21, 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

A previous study on mice found that green tea extract can inhibit the growth of pathogens, including Escherichia coli.

From Science Daily May 21, 2024

The organisms on its hit list included strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and other pathogens that have become resistant to most antibiotics currently available.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 15, 2024

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