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
In October, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention connected a fatal E. coli outbreak to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers.
—
Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2025
Cooking meat to 165 degrees (74 Celsius) kills bird flu, E. coli, salmonella or anything else.
—Dee-Ann Durbin, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2025
The woman's urine was also found to contain high levels of white blood cells or pus, blood and nitrites, indicating the presence of a urinary tract infection (UTI), as well as E. coli and Morganella morganii bacteria.
—John Yoo and John Shu, Newsweek, 23 Jan. 2025
And tests of raw products show that they are frequently contaminated with harmful viruses and bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2025
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Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2025
Cooking meat to 165 degrees (74 Celsius) kills bird flu, E. coli, salmonella or anything else.
—Dee-Ann Durbin, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2025
The woman's urine was also found to contain high levels of white blood cells or pus, blood and nitrites, indicating the presence of a urinary tract infection (UTI), as well as E. coli and Morganella morganii bacteria.
—John Yoo and John Shu, Newsweek, 23 Jan. 2025
And tests of raw products show that they are frequently contaminated with harmful viruses and bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for E. coli
Cite this Entry
“E. coli.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/E.%20coli. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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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