The generic name for the group of gram-negative, usually motile, rod-shaped BACTERIA that can ferment CARBOHYDRATE. They occur naturally in the intestines of humans and some animals. E. coli, which ferments lactose, is not normally harmful but some varieties, particularly E. coli O157, cause gastrointestinal infections which may be severe in old people. E. coli is also used in laboratory experiments for genetic and bacteriological research.
n. a genus of Gram-negative, generally motile, rodlike bacteria that have the ability to ferment carbohydrates, usually with production of gas, and are found in the intestines of humans and many animals. E. coli – a lactose-fermenting species – is usually not harmful but some strains cause gastrointestinal infections. Ingestion of the pathogenic serotype E. coli O157, derived from infected meat, causes colitis with bloody diarrhoea, which may give rise to the complications of *haemolytic uraemic syndrome or thrombocytopenic *purpura (see also food poisoning). E. coli is widely used in laboratory experiments for bacteriological and genetic studies.
(E. coli) A bacterium normally found in the intestines which, if it enters the bladder through the urethra, is a common cause of urinary tract infections. Types of E.COLI are often the cause of traveller’s diarrhoea, which is usually a mild illness. However, some strains of the bacterium can cause serious food-borne infections that can result in haemolytic–uraemic syndrome.... escherichia coli
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