E. coli

E. coli, short for Escherichia coli, is a bacteria that lives in the intestines of people and animals. "Most varieties of E. coli are harmless or cause relatively brief diarrhea." However, a few particularly virulent strains, most notably E. coli O157:H7 and E. coli O104:H4 can cause a life-threatening kidney condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). For more information, see the articles on these two strains of E. coli.

External Resources

 * E. coli, Centers for Disease Control

External Articles

 * David Gumpert, "Don’t ban raw milk because of the E. coli outbreak," Grist, June, 2011.