Kuru
Alternative Names
KuruWhat is Kuru
Kuru is a disease that affects the nervous system. It is a fatal disease due to infections transmitted among people in Papua New Guinea by ritual cannibalism.
Kuru is an infectious form of subacute spongiform encephalopathy. It is caused by a tiny protein particle known as a prion. It is similar to bovine spongiform encephalopathy and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
The average time of incubation period is 10-13 years, but in rare cases it can be more longer.
Signs and symptoms
Symptoms of kuru include:
- Arm and leg pain
- Coordination problems that become severe
- Difficulty walking (cerebellar ataxia)
- Headache
- Swallowing difficulty
- Tremors and muscle jerks (myoclonus)
Possible complications
Complications of Kuru are considered to be:
- Ataxia
- Chronic brain failure
What causes
The only one cause of Kuru is an infectious protein (prion) that was found in contaminated human brain tissue.
Kuru is prevalent among people in New Guinea who were cannibals. They ate the brains of dead people as part of a funeral ritual. This ritual stopped in 1960, but cases of kuru continued for many years afterward because the disease has a long incubation period.
It is very dangerous to eat human brain tissue, because it can contain the infectious particles.
Prevention
Unfortunately, scientists do not know how to prevent kuru. They continue working under this problem.
Treatment
There is no treatment for this disease. It is under the study.
