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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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Escherichia

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

Example Sentences

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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

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

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

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

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