Koch's Postulates and Microbiology

Milestones in Microbiology

• Ernst Ruska is the founder of the electron microscope.
• Lady Mary Wortley Montagu introduced variolation for immunizing against smallpox.
• Alexander Fleming discovered the most commonly used antibiotic substance of the last century, penicillin.
• The additional fifth criterion introduced subsequently to Koch's postulates is the requirement for the microbial isolate to recreate the disease in an animal model.
• It is challenging to apply Koch's postulates to study all human diseases because many diseases cannot be replicated in an animal model.
• The basis of molecular Koch's postulates introduced by Stanley Falkow is the identification of a specific gene or protein that is responsible for the pathogenesis of the disease.
• Paul Ehrlich is known as the father of chemotherapy.
• Paul Ehrlich proposed the side chain theory for antibody production, suggesting that antibodies are produced by the immune system as a response to the presence of foreign substances.
• The 'Gram stain' was developed to differentiate between different types of bacteria based on the composition of their cell walls.
• Paul Ehrlich discovered Salvarsan as the first effective medicinal treatment for syphilis.

Test your knowledge about Koch's postulates and their application in microbiology. Understand the exceptions to these postulates and their significance in studying human diseases.