E. coli.

A large ovoid glass sculpture with opaque glass squiggles inside and long clear glass spikes around the surface. The sculpture also has two long, thin, clear glass tails which are detachable. The sculpture represents the bacterium Escherichia coli (commonly known as E. coli) commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms. Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some, such as serotype O157:H7, can cause serious food poisoning in humans, and are occasionally responsible for product recalls. The harmless strains are part of the normal flora of the gut, and can benefit their hosts by producing vitamin K2 and by preventing the establishment of pathogenic bacteria within the intestine.