The microbial pollution in water environment would induce intestinal and respiratory diseases, threatening human's health. More and more attention had been paid to the pollution situation and detection methods of microorganisms in water environment. Based on the categories of water environment microorganisms, this study briefly introduced the characteristics and infection risk of pathogens. The indicative microorganisms in Chinese water quality standards were summarized and compared to that in USA and EU. The main factors affecting the microbial pollution in water environments were made clear based on the sources of microbial pollution. The detection methods of water environment microorganisms and their application status were reviewed. In brief, all the seven watersheds are contaminated by microorganisms. It would positively improve the prevention and control work of microbial pollution by improving the indicative microorganisms in relative water quality standards, controlling the sources of microbial pollution, and enhancing the detectability of microbial pollution.

microbial pollution  /  indicator microorganism  /  pathogenic microorganism  /  water environment