<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> <P> Bacillus coli communis Escherich 1885 </P> </Td> </Tr> <P> Bacillus coli communis Escherich 1885 </P> <P> Escherichia coli (/ ˌɛʃɪˈrɪkiə ˈkoʊlaɪ /; also known as E. coli) is a Gram - negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod - shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus Escherichia that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm - blooded organisms (endotherms). Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some serotypes can cause serious food poisoning in their hosts, and are occasionally responsible for product recalls due to food contamination . The harmless strains are part of the normal microbiota of the gut, and can benefit their hosts by producing vitamin K, and preventing colonization of the intestine with pathogenic bacteria, having a symbiotic relationship . E. coli is expelled into the environment within fecal matter . The bacterium grows massively in fresh fecal matter under aerobic conditions for 3 days, but its numbers decline slowly afterwards . </P> <P> E. coli and other facultative anaerobes constitute about 0.9% of gut microbiota, and fecal--oral transmission is the major route through which pathogenic strains of the bacterium cause disease . Cells are able to survive outside the body for a limited amount of time, which makes them potential indicator organisms to test environmental samples for fecal contamination . A growing body of research, though, has examined environmentally persistent E. coli which can survive for extended periods outside a host . </P>

Where is escherichia coli found in the human body