Koch’s postulates, developed by German physician Robert Koch, are a set of criteria used to establish a causal relationship between a specific microorganism and a specific disease.
Koch’s postulates
- 1. A specific microorganism is always associated with a specific disease.
- 2. The microorganism can be isolated from the diseased animal and grown in pure culture in the laboratory.
- 3. The cultured microorganism will cause the same disease when transferred to a healthy animal.
- 4. The microorganism can be isolated from the newly infected animal and confirmed as being identical to the original causative organism.