There is a lot of talk about the evil E. coli which periodically spoils our food supply. The latest travesty was the recent contamination of a few tons of meat, robbing us of yummy, lard-laden hamburgers. Curse you, E. coli!

But biologically speaking, E. coli outbreaks are a good thing. At least for E. coli.

I mean, can you blame the little guys (and the are little, at only a few hundredths of a millimeter long) for doing their biological duty of eating, reproducing and occasionally secreting toxic chemical by-products.

Then again, I am a critter too, and my biological and evolutionary success requires that I avoid dangerous critters. Normally this means large carnivores, but there are many microscopic adversaries too.

Actually, we need E. coli, and they need us. Our respective evolutionary paths are intertwined in a complex biology. All mammals, with the exception of those on heavy doses of antibiotics, have a healthy population of bacteria and other organisms living in their guts. In fact, E. coli gets part of its name from “colon,” the less talked-about part of our intestinal tract. The food we eat determines the make-up of our intestinal flora.

E. coli is one of the most common inhabitants in the steamy jungle of our guts. Some E. coli is quite helpful. It helps keep our intestines chemically balanced and healthy.

Other kinds of bacteria can provide us with important nutrients, like vitamin K, which we can’t make ourselves. They also can produce gaseous products like methane and hydrogen sulfide, which comprise the unique aroma of the toxic chemical by-products known as farts. Beans and Polish sausage are particularly favorable to the fart-making bacteria, at least in my experience.

E. coli is also a favorite organism of scientists, who use its rapid rate of metabolism and reproduction as a tool to make other organisms, such as viruses, and important medicinals, like insulin and Beta-galactosidase (the molecule which helps lactose-intolerant people be able to drink milk).

So some E. coli is a good thing. Let’s not let a few bad apples, or hamburgers, sully the reputation of this important organism.

The problem lies with the irresponsibility of humans and the mistakes made in the acquisition of larger profits by corporations. E. coli bacteria are just doing their thing the only way they know how.

Joe Leonard is a graduate student in journalism and mass communication from Ohio.