E. coli News and Research

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E. coli or Escherichia coli is the name of a type of bacteria that lives in your intestines. Most types of E. coli are harmless. However, some types can make you sick and cause diarrhea. One type causes travelers' diarrhea. The worst type of E. coli causes bloody diarrhea, and can sometimes cause kidney failure and even death. These problems are most likely to occur in children and in adults with weak immune systems. You can get E. coli infections by eating foods containing the bacteria. To help avoid food poisoning and prevent infection, handle food safely. Cook meat well, wash fruits and vegetables before eating or cooking them, and avoid unpasteurized milk and juices. You can also get the infection by swallowing water in a swimming pool contaminated with human waste. Most cases of E. coli infection get better without treatment in 5 to 10 days.

New AI models quickly find compounds that target Lyme bacteria

Tufts University researchers are using AI and machine learning to more quickly identify potential narrow-spectrum antibiotics to prevent and treat Lyme disease, thanks to a generous gift from an alumnus that sped up their timeline by two to three years.

28 Apr 2026

New light-based technique reveals the inner workings of cells

Human cells adjust to ever-changing conditions while preserving internal states necessary for survival, but exactly how they achieve both adaptability and stability remains unclear. For the first time, researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, used a light-based technique called Raman spectroscopy to create snapshots of the entire protein landscape inside an E. coli cell in a nondestructive manner.

28 Apr 2026

Breast milk sugars promote beneficial bacterial balance in infant guts

Sugars contained exclusively in breast milk are helping to feed an important balance of bacteria in babies' developing gut microbiomes, a new study has found.

22 Apr 2026

Korean skincare ingredient emerges as potential antibiotic candidate

Fans of Korean skincare may be familiar with 'hero ingredient' Madecassic acid for its skin-soothing properties, but researchers at the University of Kent have revealed its greater potential for use in the battle against antibiotic resistance.

9 Apr 2026

Machine learning uncovers thousands of unknown bacterial immune defense systems

Bacterial immune systems protect against viral invaders called phages by precisely targeting specific phage genetic sequences.

2 Apr 2026

Why one vaccine cannot protect against all E. coli infections

The bacterium E. coli is the most common cause of urinary tract infections and bloodstream infections. But in the search for vaccines, researchers have discovered that the bacteria are more resilient than they had thought.

31 Mar 2026

Study links higher enteric disease risk to E. coli in high-risk water supplies

A nationwide New Zealand study found no significant overall link between most routine drinking water quality indicators and enteric disease risk, but E. coli signals emerged in higher-risk settings such as surface-water supplies, systems with known source-water risks, and periods of heavy rainfall. The findings suggest that sporadic bacterial enteric disease may sometimes be linked to drinking water contamination, especially in vulnerable systems, while also highlighting important limitations and the need for targeted monitoring.

26 Mar 2026

Genetic study maps bacteria’s protective armor behind severe infections

The first large-scale genetic study of E. coli's protective armor has identified the five capsule types that are responsible for 70 per cent of all multidrug-resistant bloodstream infections in Europe.

25 Mar 2026

Study links gut microbiome imbalance to worsening kidney disease

Researchers at UC Davis School of Medicine have uncovered how an imbalanced gut microbiome escalates the production of metabolic byproducts by certain gut bacteria.

19 Mar 2026

Scientists turn plastic waste into Parkinson’s drug levodopa using engineered bacteria

Researchers engineered a two-strain microbial system that converts PET-derived terephthalic acid into levodopa, overcoming key bottlenecks in transport and enzyme inhibition. The proof-of-concept process achieves high yields under mild conditions and demonstrates a potential route for upcycling plastic waste into valuable pharmaceuticals.

17 Mar 2026

Maternal antibodies protect newborns from severe E. coli infections, study finds

A multi-center study led by researchers at Cincinnati Children's sheds surprising new light on why some newborns become severely ill from Escherichia coli infection, but others do not.

11 Mar 2026

Environmental conditions influence how bacteria respond to antibiotic treatments

Antibiotic susceptibility in resistant bacteria is not static. New research shows that bacteria harboring resistance genes may respond differently to antibiotics if they are tested under conditions other than those used in standard laboratory assays.

10 Mar 2026

New method isolates true transcription factor targets in tuberculosis bacteria

Inside every cell, thousands of molecular signals collide, overlap, and compensate, obscuring the true drivers of gene expression.

2 Mar 2026

Fe₃O₄@mPEG-Ag nanoparticles offer non-antibiotic strategy to combat drug-resistant bacteria

A collaborative study by Guangzhou Medical University and South China University of Technology, published in BME Frontiers, introduces Fe₃O₄@mPEG-Ag nanoparticles (NPs) as a groundbreaking non-antibiotic strategy to combat drug-resistant bacteria.

27 Feb 2026

Polystyrene nanoplastics influence Salmonella survival and antibiotic resistance

Plastic products are ubiquitous in our food supply chain, shedding microplastics into every part of the human ecosystem.

27 Feb 2026

Novel antimicrobial peptides from dromedary camels offer hope against antibiotic resistance

Antimicrobial resistance poses a growing global health crisis, with few new antibiotics in development.

22 Feb 2026

MRSA and E. coli detected weeks after Potomac sewage spill

Nearly a month after a wastewater pipe broke and spewed hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River just north of Washington, D.C., the latest water testing results from the University of Maryland School of Public Health continue to show high levels of E. coli and S. aureus – commonly called staph, including antibiotic-resistant MRSA.

22 Feb 2026

European report: Antimicrobial resistance remains widespread in foodborne bacteria

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in common foodborne bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter continues to be a public health concern across Europe, according to a new joint report from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

18 Feb 2026

Bioengineered E. coli bacteria can now produce rhododendron-derived drugs

Bioengineered E. coli bacteria can now produce a group of compounds with anticancer, anti-HIV, antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory activities.

17 Feb 2026

Modified peptides show promise against tuberculosis bacteria

Antibiotic treatments are losing effectiveness against a range of common bacterial pathogens, including E. coli, K. pneumoniae, Salmonella and Acinetobacter, according to a warning issued by the World Health Organization last October.

13 Feb 2026