Final answer:
During the Golden Age of Microbiology, the question that stimulated research was 'What causes disease, and is spontaneous generation of microbes possible?', leading to the germ theory of disease and the development of vaccines.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question posed during the Golden Age of Microbiology, which primarily stimulated the research of microbes, was E) What causes disease, and is spontaneous generation of microbes possible?
Detailed research into microorganisms advanced significantly due to the quest to understand the nature of diseases and the challenge to the theory of spontaneous generation. This period was marked by groundbreaking discoveries such as the identification of microbes causing specific diseases, thanks to the work of scientists like Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch. Pasteur is known for discrediting the theory of spontaneous generation with his experiments, thereby establishing the basis for microbiology and germ theory. Koch identified the specific bacterial causes of anthrax, cholera, and tuberculosis, setting the standards for establishing causal relationships between microbes and diseases, which are known as Koch's postulates.
The germ theory of disease became widely accepted, transforming the understanding of how illnesses were spread and preventing, bringing about revolutionary changes in healthcare practices, including the development of vaccines and sterilization methods.