"Is it the cause?"--Robert Koch and viruses in the 21st century.
Confirmation that a virus is genuinely the cause of a disease is unexpectedly difficult, especially with new molecular approaches to diagnosis. This paper discusses the problems, which are closely related to the methods used to detect virus (or components of virus), and suggests that longitudinal studies are essential to confirming causation and avoiding unwarranted assumptions.
Burnfoot, Stocksfield, Northumberland NE43 7TN, UK. dickmadeley@aol.com
Charles Richard
CR
Madeley
D006801:Humans; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D014780:Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*