Escherichia coli O157:H7

Escherichia coli O157:H7

[‚es·kə¦rēk·ē·ə ′kō‚lī ¦ō¦wən¦fīv¦sev·ən ′āch¦sev·ən] (microbiology) An unusually virulent food-borne pathogen that is found primarily in cattle and causes severe, sometimes life-threatening illness; symptoms include hemorrhagic colitis, hemolytic uremic syndrome, and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.