Where does the name Escherichia coli come from ?
The genus Escherichia is named after Theodor Escherich a German bacteriologist, who, in 1885, isolated the type species of the genus. They are Gram-negative bacilli occurring singly or in pairs. The species name coli is derived from the colon, as the bacterium is a normal inhabitant of the gastro-intestinal tract of humans and animals. More bacterial names formed from personal names : http://www.bacterio.cict.fr/personalnames.
