Escherichia coli (E. coli) are rod-shaped, Gram-negative bacteria which are present in warm-blooded organisms in
their intestines (Fig.1). They are facultative anaerobes forming metabolic products such as lactate, ethanol,
succinate, carbon dioxide and acetate1. This bacterium is a main model organism in microbiology. They are also
used in biological engineering. Most of E. coli strains are harmless, but some serotypes can cause serious food
poisoning in their hosts.