E. coli: alive and well

摘要

Escherichia coli is a survivor. It's at home in the gut of mammals and other vertebrates, but it can also live in soil and water and in biofilms that can form on some moist surfaces. "Even though most E. coli strains don't cause illness, it's an 'indicator organism'— one that water-quality managers use to measure fecal contamination," says Agricultural Research Service soil scientist Yakov Pachepsky. "When it's found in surface water, agriculture or urban runoff is usually implicated as the source.But it can also come from wildlife, leaking septic tanks, or even irrigation equipment, so we need to know more about the sources of E. coli in the environment." Another spot where many strains of E. coli lurk is in streambed sediments.