The ecology of Escherichia coli in animals including man with particular reference to drug resistance.

The phenomenon of drug resistance among bacteria, particularly Escherichia coli, has been a major research interest of the University of Bristol's departments of microbiology and veterinary medicine during the past 15 years. Tens of thousands of E coli isolates from man and farm animals have been examined in studies of both the ecology of the species and the epidemiology of their resistance to therapeutic antibacterial agents. The principal findings obtained in these investigations are described.