E. coli

E. coli

noun \ˌē-ˈkō-ˌlī\

plural E. coli also E. colis

Definition of E. COLI

: a straight rod-shaped gram-negative bacterium (Escherichia coli of the family Enterobacteriaceae) that is used in public health as an indicator of fecal pollution (as of water or food) and in medicine and genetics as a research organism and that occurs in various strains that may live as harmless inhabitants of the human lower intestine or may produce a toxin causing intestinal illness <one million acid-resistant E. coli per gram of feces—John Schwartz> <this E. coli can survive…longer than all the other E. colis—Ed Geldreich>

Illustration of E. COLI