ˌēˈkōˌlī noun
( plural e· coli also e· colis )
Usage: usually capitalized E
Etymology: short for New Latin Escherichia coli , species name, literally, Escherichia of the colon
: 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