Related topics: bacteria
Escherichia coli
hideEscherichia coli (commonly E. coli; pronounced /ˌɛʃɪˈrɪkiə ˈkoʊlaɪ/, /iː ~/, and named for its discoverer), is a Gram negative bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms (endotherms). Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some, such as serotype O157:H7, can cause serious food poisoning in humans, and are occasionally responsible for costly product recalls. The harmless strains are part of the normal flora of the gut, and can benefit their hosts by producing vitamin K2, or by preventing the establishment of pathogenic bacteria within the intestine.
E. coli are not always confined to the intestine, and their ability to survive for brief periods outside the body makes them an ideal indicator organism to test environmental samples for fecal contamination. The bacteria can also be grown easily and its genetics are comparatively simple and easily-manipulated or duplicated through a process of metagenics, making it one of the best-studied prokaryotic model organisms, and an important species in biotechnology and microbiology.
E. coli was discovered by German pediatrician and bacteriologist Theodor Escherich in 1885, and is now classified as part of the Enterobacteriaceae family of gamma-proteobacteria.
For more information about Escherichia coli, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with e coli
Computer model reveals where food pathogens grow
Dec 03, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- An outbreak of food-related illness, such as E. coli-tainted spinach, often leaves food safety experts scratching their heads over the source of the contamination.
Bioengineers succeed in producing plastic without the use of fossil fuels
Nov 23, 2009 |
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A team of pioneering South Korean scientists have succeeded in producing the polymers used for everyday plastics through bioengineering, rather than through the use of fossil fuel based chemicals. This groundbreaking research, ...
Biologists discover bacterial defense mechanism against aggressive oxygen
Nov 20, 2009 |
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Bacteria possess an ingenious mechanism for preventing oxygen from harming the building blocks of the cell. This is the new finding of a team of biologists that includes Joris Messens of VIB, a life sciences research institute ...
Sweet as can be: How E. coli gets ahead
Nov 12, 2009 |
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Scientists at the University of York have discovered how certain bacteria such as Escherichia coli have evolved to capture rare sugars from their environment giving them an evolutionary advantage in naturally competitive enviro ...
Lawmaker wants probe of E. coli and school lunches
Nov 09, 2009 |
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(AP) -- The chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee wants an investigation into the risk of deadly E. coli getting into school lunches.
There's a speed limit to the pace of evolution, biologists say
Nov 02, 2009 |
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Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a theoretical model that informs the understanding of evolution and determines how quickly an organism will evolve using a catalogue of "evolutionary speed limits." ...
Genomes of Two Popular Research Strains of E. coli Sequenced
Oct 20, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- An international team of researchers from the United States, Korea, and France has sequenced and analyzed the genomes of two important laboratory strains of E. coli bacteria, one used to study ...
Time in a bottle: Scientists watch evolution unfold
Oct 18, 2009 |
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A 21-year Michigan State University experiment that distills the essence of evolution in laboratory flasks not only demonstrates natural selection at work, but could lead to biotechnology and medical research ...
Leafy greens present growing threat of food-borne illness, researchers say
Oct 08, 2009 |
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A growing threat for food-borne illnesses comes attractively packaged, is stunningly convenient and is increasingly popular with shoppers looking for healthy meals: ready-to-eat leafy greens that make putting together a green ...
Death by light: Nanoparticles as agents for the photodynamic killing of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Oct 05, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The increasing antibiotic resistance of bacteria is a serious problem of our time. Hospital germs in particular have developed strains against which practically every current antibiotic is ineffective. In ...
Team finds a better way to watch bacteria swim
Oct 04, 2009 |
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Researchers have developed a new method for studying bacterial swimming, one that allows them to trap Escherichia coli bacteria and modify the microbes' environment without hindering the way they move.
Understanding a cell's split personality aids synthetic circuits (w/ Video)
Oct 04, 2009 |
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As scientists work toward making genetically altered bacteria create living "circuits" to produce a myriad of useful proteins and chemicals, they have logically assumed that the single-celled organisms would always respond ...
Engineers track bacteria's kayak paddle-like motion for first time
Sep 25, 2009 |
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Yale engineers have for the first time observed and tracked E. coli bacteria moving in a liquid medium with a motion similar to that of a kayak paddle.
Calif. produce distributor recalls potentially contaminated bunched spinach
Sep 20, 2009 |
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The bad news: Salinas, Calif., produce distributor Ippolito International on Friday recalled two brands of bunched spinach after it tested positive for Salmonella. The good news: No one got sick.
Unlocking the Secret of the Bladder's Bouncers
Aug 20, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Duke University Medical Center may have a new way to stop and even prevent the urinary tract infections (UTIs) that plague more than a third of all adults, some of them repeatedly.
