To most of people, "virulent" means "aggressive" or just plain "bad." However, to a microbiologist it has a more specific meaning: Virulent strains of bacteria are the ones that produce "virulence factors" — small molecules and proteins that convert a benign bacterium into a pathogen.
They make the difference between the Escherichia coli that are helpful members of the gut microbiome and the E. coli O157:H7 responsible for food poisoning outbreaks.
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