E. coli
noun
plural E. coli
: an enterobacterium (Escherichia coli) 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 see enterobacterium illustration
Examples of E. coli in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Beef recall:Public health alert issued over ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY.
—
USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024
Cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160 degrees to remove the threat of E. coli.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2024
In one 2019 study of litter used on farm fields as fertilizer, researchers found that every sample tested from U.S. broiler chickens carried E. coli strains resistant to more than seven antibiotics — including amoxicillin, ceftiofur, tetracycline, and sulfonamide.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The Seine is beautiful, but the open water swim will probably be canceled due to E. coli.
—Adrienne So, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024
In the last decade, Americans have been sickened by salmonella from cucumbers, listeria from Mexican-style cheese, and E. coli from romaine lettuce.
—Nicholas Florko, STAT, 16 Apr. 2024
Aspen was being treated for hemolytic uremic syndrome, a known and critical complication from STEC (Shiga toxin producing E. coli) infection, the lawsuit said.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2024
The annual boat race went on even though the group found E. coli levels up to 10 times higher than what is considered the worst category for public bathing by U.K. authorities.
—Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2024
The water company blamed for discharging sewage into the Thames stressed that E. coli was a naturally occurring organism and likely to be present in floodwater.
—Billy Stockwell, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024
Cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160 degrees to remove the threat of E. coli.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2024
In one 2019 study of litter used on farm fields as fertilizer, researchers found that every sample tested from U.S. broiler chickens carried E. coli strains resistant to more than seven antibiotics — including amoxicillin, ceftiofur, tetracycline, and sulfonamide.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The Seine is beautiful, but the open water swim will probably be canceled due to E. coli.
—Adrienne So, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024
In the last decade, Americans have been sickened by salmonella from cucumbers, listeria from Mexican-style cheese, and E. coli from romaine lettuce.
—Nicholas Florko, STAT, 16 Apr. 2024
Aspen was being treated for hemolytic uremic syndrome, a known and critical complication from STEC (Shiga toxin producing E. coli) infection, the lawsuit said.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2024
The annual boat race went on even though the group found E. coli levels up to 10 times higher than what is considered the worst category for public bathing by U.K. authorities.
—Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2024
The water company blamed for discharging sewage into the Thames stressed that E. coli was a naturally occurring organism and likely to be present in floodwater.
—Billy Stockwell, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'E. coli.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Cite this Entry
“E. coli.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/E.%20coli. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
E. coli
noun
plural E. coli
: a bacterium in the shape of a short rod that may cause intestinal illness
Etymology
short for Escherichia coli, the taxonomic name in biology
Medical Definition
E. coli
nounˌē-ˈkō-ˌlī
plural E. coli also E. colis
: 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 marked especially by diarrhea
one million acid-resistant E. coli per gram of feces—John Schwartz
John Schwartzthis E. coli can survive … longer than all the other E. colis—Ed Geldreich
Ed GeldreichLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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