It is well known that Aeromonasoccurs frequently in water and is capable of producing serious disease in aquatic animals. The recently adopted view that Aeromonas is indeed an important human enteric pathogen coupled with the frequent occurrence of that organism in water, has raisedconcern for the issue of Aeromonas infection as a waterborne disease. The research reported to date at best only suggests a possible link between environmental isolates of Aeromonas and disease. The objective of this study was to help clarify the issue using molecular fingerprinting to compare isolates of Aeromonas from human stool specimens and well waters for similarities and differences. Includes 17 references.