How long does E. coli survive outside the body?

How long does E. coli survive outside the body?

E. coli can survive outside the body from hours to months. It can live in soil for about 130 days. E. coli survives in river water for 27 days and in cattle slurry for 10 days. On stainless steel, E. coli was shown to survive for more than 60 days. It survives for at least 12 hours on wooden cutting boards.

Many factors affect how long E. coli can live outside the body including temperature, presence of water, availability of nutrients, pH and solar radiation.