Escherichia coli, or E. coli which is a shorter version of the name, refers to an illness from foodborne pathogens that may be transmitted from: 1) Person to person if hands, utensils and counters were not washed thoroughly; 2) Ingesting contaminated liquid substances such as may occur by swimming in contaminated water, drinking raw milk or unpasteurized ciders and juices; 3) Eating food that is undercooked such as raw ground meat (hamburger or sausage)as well as meat infected during processing that is not cooked sufficiently to kill the bacteria; or: 4) Eating produce that is contaminated with bacteria, such as occurs with plants coming in contact with feces or sewage from contaminated water.