CASE 1:  A 40-year-old hospital patient begins complaining o…

CASE 1:  A 40-year-old hospital patient begins complaining of painful urination. She had been admitted to the hospital three days prior for a surgical procedure that required the use of a catheter. A urine specimen is collected and analyzed. Pink cells in the Gram stain suggest that the pathogen is E. coli. Escherichia coli is a mutualistic member of the large intestine’s normal flora. The fact that it is causing a UTI in this particular case accounts for why E. coli is also considered _____.