Panic Watch!

E. coli (Escherichia coli) is a type of bacteria that lives in the lower intestines of mammals. In fact, it's in you right now. There are hundreds of strains of E. coli and most are harmless. The average human excretes billions of the little suckers every day.

In the media, 'E. coli' usually refers to the particular strain of E. coli known as O157:H7 which causes bloody diarrhea and occasionally death. The CDC estimates about 61 people in the U.S. die from O157:H7 infections each year, and there has been a 29% decline in infections over the past decade.