Escherichia

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Escherichia (family Enterobacteriaceae) A genus of Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria. E. coli is the most thoroughly studied of all bacteria. It is found mostly in the lower gut of mammals, but also occurs in, e.g., sewage-contaminated natural waters; it is commonly used as an indicator of sewage pollution. Some strains of E. coli are pathogenic, causing, for example, dysentery in the old and in infants and young animals.

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