After two neighborhood dogs died from a water-borne disease, Aaron took an active interest in the water quality on and around Kauai. He found out that the disease was leptospirosis. He decided to test a river near his home.
Because leptospirosis is spread mostly by animal urine, Aaron selected two areas to test: the developed lower watershed, where there were more people than animals, and the less-developed upper watershed, where there were more animals than people. Because there are no inexpensive tests for leptospirosis, he decided to test for Enterococcus bacteria, which occur in tandem with leptospires. He collected samples from five locations and incubated them, charting the growth of the Enterococcus. The lower watershed, home to the most people, had the highest bacteria count, which to Aaron indicated a significant risk.
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