title: Koch's postulates and infectious proteins.
abstract: Koch's postulates were formulated in the late nineteenth century as guidelines for establishing that microbes cause specific diseases. Because the rules were developed for living agents--particularly bacteria--their applicability to inanimate pathogens such as viruses and infectious proteins has been problematic. The unorthodox mechanism by which prion diseases are transmitted, involving specific physicochemical characteristics of the protein as well as susceptibility traits of the host, has made these disorders refractory to analysis within the context of the original Koch's postulates. In addition, evidence is accumulating that other proteopathies, such as AA amyloidosis, apolipoprotein AII amyloidosis, and cerebral Abeta amyloidosis, can be induced in vulnerable recipients by cognate proteinaceous agents. In light of the salient differences in the mode of disease-transmission by microbes and proteins, we propose modifications of Koch's postulates that will specifically accommodate presumed infectious proteins.
authors.affiliation: Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Department of Neurology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA. lary.walker@emory.edu
authors.forename: Lary
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Harry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jucker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D017096:Prion Diseases / Q000635:transmission*; D011328:Prions / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D011328:Prions