Escherichia coli, commonly called E. coli, is a bacteria that can be found in the gut of many warm blooded animals, including humans. Although many strains of the bacteria are harmless, a few strains of E. coli are pathogens that causes diseases like food poisoning, urinary tract infections and pneumonia. A little known fact however, is that E. coli is also responsible for infections of the eye leading to conditions like conjunctivitis and keratitis. The condition has been treated quite successfully using antibiotics applied to the affected eye. However, with the rise of drug resistant strains of the bacteria, our current tools may soon become inefficient in the future. Now, a team from L V Prasad Eye Institute and CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology has been studying the development of such drug resistant strains of E. coli. In a new study published recently, the team has reported that E. coli could resist the drug by forming a biofilm to protect itself. They have further identified the gene responsible for the formation of the biofilm, a discovery that could lead to a new class of drugs to fight E. coli.