Koch's postulates
Koch's Postulates
Koch's postulates (/koʊkz ˈpɒstʃələts/) are four criteria designed by Robert Koch and Friedrich Loeffler in the late 19th century, to establish a causative relationship between a microbe and a disease. The postulates were formulated based on Koch's work on anthrax and tuberculosis, and have been used as a standard to identify the pathogenic organisms responsible for causing diseases.
Etymology
The term "Koch's postulates" is named after the German physician and microbiologist Robert Koch, who first proposed these principles. The word "postulate" originates from the Latin postulare, meaning to demand.
Postulates
- The microorganism must be found in abundance in all organisms suffering from the disease, but should not be found in healthy organisms.
- The microorganism must be isolated from a diseased organism and grown in pure culture.
- The cultured microorganism should cause disease when introduced into a healthy organism.
- The microorganism must be reisolated from the inoculated, diseased experimental host and identified as being identical to the original specific causative agent.
Limitations and Modifications
While Koch's postulates have been instrumental in the field of microbiology, they have limitations. For instance, they do not account for asymptomatic carriers of diseases, or diseases caused by more than one type of microbe. Over time, these postulates have been modified to fit with the understanding of diseases in the modern era of molecular biology and genomics.
Related Terms
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Koch's postulates
- Wikipedia's article - Koch's postulates
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