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Rabies is a disease caused by a virus that affects mammals - HSC - SSCE Biology - Question 25 - 2016 - Paper 1
Question 25
Rabies is a disease caused by a virus that affects mammals. In 1880 Louis Pasteur investigated dogs that were suffering from rabies in order to find the cause. He b... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Rabies is a disease caused by a virus that affects mammals - HSC - SSCE Biology - Question 25 - 2016 - Paper 1
Step 1
Why was Pasteur NOT able to observe the rabies virus?
Answer
Light microscopes were not powerful enough to visualize the rabies virus, which is extremely small in size. The resolution of light microscopes is limited; they cannot effectively discern structures that are smaller than the wavelength of visible light, which is why Pasteur could not observe the virus directly.
Step 2
Explain why Pasteur needed to identify and culture the microorganism in order to meet the scientific standards for establishing the cause of rabies.
Answer
Pasteur needed to identify and culture the microorganism to validate its association with rabies based on Koch's postulates. According to these postulates, the microorganism must be isolated from diseased animals, cultured in a pure form, and then tested by introducing it to healthy animals to reproduce the disease. This method ensures scientific rigor in establishing that a particular microorganism is the cause of a specific disease. Without this identification and culturing process, any suspected organism's role in causing rabies would be unsubstantiated.