Escherichia coli

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Eschericia coli (E. coli) overview

  • Member of Enterobacteriacae family of Gram-negative bacilli
  • Facultative anaerobe
  • One of predominant bacterial species in colonic flora
  • Abundant in the environment
  • Found in many non-specific, endogenous infections, eg. wound infections and upper respiratory tract infections and septicaemia
  • Also and enteropathogen


E. coli characteristics

  • Oxidase negative (do not possess cytochrome C oxidase)
  • Grow on MacConkey agar (in presence of bile salts)
  • Reduce nitrates to nitrits and ferment glucose to produce acid and gas
  • Possess a lipolysaccharide O antigen, a flagellate H antigen, polysaccharide K antigens and fimbrial F antigens
  • Epidemiological typing of E. coli uses antigen combinations, eg. O125:K12:H42