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Aetiology

Koch's postulates fulfilled for SARS virus

Nature volume 423, page 240 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has recently emerged as a new human disease, resulting globally in 435 deaths from 6,234 probable cases (as of 3 May 2003). Here we provide proof from experimental infection of cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) that the newly discovered SARS-associated coronavirus (SCV) is the aetiological agent of this disease. Our understanding of the aetiology of SARS will expedite the development of diagnostic tests, antiviral therapies and vaccines, and may allow a more concise case definition for this emerging disease.

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Figure 1: SARS-associated coronavirus and associated lesions in macaque lungs.
The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

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Author notes

  1. Klaus Stöhr: On behalf of members of the SARS Aetiology Study Group, World Health Organization, Avenue Appia 20, CH-1211, Geneva 27, Switzerland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Virology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, 3015 GE, The Netherlands

    Ron A. M. Fouchier, Thijs Kuiken, Martin Schutten, Geert van Amerongen, Gerard J. J. van Doornum, Bernadette G. van den Hoogen & Albert D. M. E. Osterhaus

  2. Department of Microbiology, University of Hong Kong, University Pathology Building, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Malik Peiris

  3. Government Virus Unit, 9/F Public Health Laboratory Centre, 382 Nam Cheong Street, Shek Kip Mei, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Wilina Lim

Authors
  1. Ron A. M. Fouchier
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  2. Thijs Kuiken
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  3. Martin Schutten
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  4. Geert van Amerongen
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  5. Gerard J. J. van Doornum
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  6. Bernadette G. van den Hoogen
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  7. Malik Peiris
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  8. Wilina Lim
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  9. Klaus Stöhr
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  10. Albert D. M. E. Osterhaus
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ron A. M. Fouchier.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Cite this article

Fouchier, R., Kuiken, T., Schutten, M. et al. Koch's postulates fulfilled for SARS virus. Nature 423, 240 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/423240a

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/423240a

Comments

Commenting on this article is now closed.

  1. Noman Nadeem

    https://youtu.be/TXargSbVp7E

  2. Noman Nadeem

    Discuussing and exposing this study in the video.

  3. Noman Nadeem

    non of the koch's postulates were met

  4. 石雨濛

    Here is the original source of the video that proves Rivers Criteria and Koch's postulate have not been met for SARS-COV-1: https://youtu.be/fvcEIarencM

    "isolation of virus from diseased hosts, cultivation in host cells, and proof of filterability — have been met for SCV by several groups2,3,4,5."
    Is a fraudulent statement.

  5. 石雨濛 Replied to 石雨濛

    In case this video is taken down, here is an article that goes through the video with citations added:
    * Part 1
    * Part 2
    * Part 3

    Part 4 has not yet been released.

  6. frank Replied to 石雨濛

    Need number 4 please.

  7. Rob Wigglezz

    Andrew Kaufman destroys cv19
    https://youtu.be/VSIBsb-tiEE

  8. John Hanek

    Your titile states:
    Koch's postulates fulfilled for SARS virus
    Then, the first sentence under "Main" states:
    "According to Koch's postulates, as modified by Rivers for viral diseases".
    Huh? In other words Koch's postulates are NOT fulfilled for the SARS virus.
    Louis Pasteur on his death bed admitted he was wrong about germ theory.

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