MICROORGANISMS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE
Koch’s Postulates
Despite the importance of Koch’s postulates in the field of microbiology, his research possessed some limitations. Koch realized this as well. For example, he believed that leprosy was caused by a microbe, but he was unable to show that all four of his postulates applied to this condition. He also realized some microbes could be isolated from both sick and healthy people which violated his second postulate. Despite these limitations, Koch’s postulates are still useful when establishing the cause/effect relationship between microbes and disease.
Some scientists have suggested modifications to Koch’s postulates. Discuss some of these modern updates and how they modify or add to Koch’s original 4 postulates.
Why are Koch’s postulates still relevant today?
Why aren’t Koch’s postulates always useful in proving the cause of a given disease?
Consider a variety of diseases, such as cholera, pneumonia, nephritis, and AIDS. Select one to describe. How could Koch’s postulates be used to test the causative agent in your chosen disease?
