Escherichia coli is a type of bacteria that normally lives in the intestines of humans and animals without causing any problems.
Nevertheless, certain types or strains of Escherichia coli can cause so-called "traveller's diarrhoea", which is produced by use of food and water that is contaminated with faeces from carriers of these germs.
Other germs that commonly cause of this type of diarrhoea are Shigella, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Rotavirus and Giardia lamblia, among others.