I seem to recall
Posted by: rikjohnson
on Dec-31-12 11:43 AM (EST)
a study that showed (I may be misrembering this) that in the winter streams tested clean were contaminated by animals a month or so later who got it from people pooping along the trails.
Yes, some animals get sick.
Ever been in a cattle-field or sheep-field when the 'runs' hit them? Ireland around Tara Hill was mostly brown goo from a bug that went through the local sheep herd. And that got on our shoes which got on our hands when we changed shoes and the car floormats and... There was a lot of second and third-hand infection.
And a lot of the cowpies on Pleasant showed exactly the same thing.
People in the Third World get sick a lot too, they just shove rags up there and keep on working because they don't have sick-time like we do.
So my original question remains.
Because I've seen second & third hand infection so if I can filter water from areas that have a lower concentration, it reduces the chance of not only direct infection (swimming too) but accidental second hand infection.