What sequence outlines the experimental steps for associating a specific microbe with a specific disease?

Koch's Postulates provide a systematic approach for linking a specific microbe to a specific disease, making it the foundational framework in microbial pathology. These postulates establish a set of criteria that must be met to demonstrate that a particular organism is the causative agent of a disease.

The first postulate states that the microbe must be present in all individuals suffering from the disease but absent in healthy individuals. The second postulate emphasizes that the microbe must be isolated from a diseased host and grown in pure culture. The third requires that when the cultured microbe is introduced into a healthy host, it should cause the same disease. Lastly, the fourth postulate states that the microbe must be re-isolated from the inoculated, diseased individual and identified as the original specific causative agent.

This sequence is critical in establishing a causal relationship and has been foundational in microbiology, thereby distinguishing it from other concepts. In contrast, the other choices relate to broader principles of microbiology or different scientific approaches but do not specifically address the association of a microbe with a particular disease as clearly as Koch's Postulates do.