Koch''s postulates and experimental atherosclerosis

Koch's postulates contributed substantially to the evolution of scientific knowledge of infectious diseases, but are inapplicable to chronic non-infectious, degenerative diseases such as atherosclerosis. In experimental atherogenesis compliance with appropriately modified postulates is essential to preclude spurious causes from consideration. The crux of such postulates is that the experimental procedure must reproduce the disease and its complications and their pathogenesis and experimental conditions must be analogous to those prevailing in man. Since atherosclerosis is not species specific to man and consists of multiple lesions, which develop independently of one another but can ultimately coalesce, reproduction of the disease in a localized segment of a blood vessel in susceptible animals under conditions similar to those prevailing in man would comply with the spirit of Koch's postulates.