本文的主要重点是引起疾病的微生物（病原体），如隐孢子虫属、肠道致病性大肠杆菌和肠道病毒。这篇文章列举了饮用水微生物学史上的重大事件，讨论了检测方法的历史，并讨论了微生物科学未来发展的可能途径。包括104个参考文献、表格和图表。

The primary focus of this article is on microorganisms (pathogens) that cause disease such as Cryptosporidium spp., enteropathogenic E. coli, and enteric viruses. The article lists significant events in the history of drinking water microbiology, discusses the history of detection methods, and discusses the likely path of future developments in microbial sciences. Includes 104 references, tables, figures.