Write contribution of Robert Koch in microbiology. (Physical Microbiology)
Answers
He was the first person to discover the precise cause of anthrax to be the bacteria Bacillus anthracis through the use of cultures. It is this discovery that paved way for a breakthrough in the area of infectious diseases. In the 1880’s, Koch developed a guideline known as Koch’s four postulates, to be used in establishing the cause of infectious diseases and which is the standard procedure used in laboratories to date. By following Koch’s postulates, one is able to arrive at the causative agent of a disease through isolation. In other words, one is able to identify the exact microorganism that causes a certain disease. He was also interested in the cholera epidemic that hit various countries in the world and even though another scientist had already isolated the causative agent of cholera, Koch’s identification of the bacterium Vibrio cholera was more conclusive. Robert Koch was also the first individual to dispel the assertion that tuberculosis is an inherited ailment by distinguishing its causative agent to be Mycobacterium tuberculosis in 1882. Koch mentored many students who through the use of his four postulates discovered the disease-causing agents of syphilis, pneumonia, tetanus and leprosy among others. His extensive works in the field of microbiology earned him several accolades and he is even referred to as the father of microbiology.
He was the first person to discover the precise cause of anthrax to be the bacteria Bacillus anthracis through the use of cultures. It is this discovery that paved way for a breakthrough in the area of infectious diseases. In the 1880’s, Koch developed a guideline known as Koch’s four postulates, to be used in establishing the cause of infectious diseases and which is the standard procedure used in laboratories to date. By following Koch’s postulates, one is able to arrive at the causative agent of a disease through isolation. In other words, one is able to identify the exact microorganism that causes a certain disease. He was also interested in the cholera epidemic that hit various countries in the world and even though another scientist had already isolated the causative agent of cholera, Koch’s identification of the bacterium Vibrio cholera was more conclusive. Robert Koch was also the first individual to dispel the assertion that tuberculosis is an inherited ailment by distinguishing its causative agent to be Mycobacterium tuberculosis in 1882. Koch mentored many students who through the use of his four postulates discovered the disease-causing agents of syphilis, pneumonia, tetanus and leprosy among others. His extensive works in the field of microbiology earned him several accolades and he is even referred to as the father of microbiology.