When analyzing water for potential contamination with pathogens, most scientists only look for
e. coli. why? ?

As it indicates the levels of the water contamination.

Explanation:

As the e-coil can survive for short periods of time in the environments and hence it has a universal use in finding out the levels of the water contamination of the waterways. Other methods are the levels of the dissolved oxygen and the water transparency and other visual tests.

The answer is closed primary.