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Kuru

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Contents of this page:

Illustrations

Central nervous system
Central nervous system

Definition    Return to top

Kuru is a nerve disease that slowly gets worse. It is due to an infectious protein (prion) found in contaminated human brain tissue.

Causes    Return to top

Kuru is an extremely rare disease. It is almost exclusively found among people from New Guinea, who practiced a form of cannibalism in which the brains of dead people were eaten as part of a funeral ritual.

Kuru causes neurodegenerative changes similar to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease Similar diseases appear in cows as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also called mad cow disease.

The main risk factor for kuru is eating human brain tissue, which can contain the infectious particles.

Symptoms    Return to top

Symptoms of kuru include:

Difficulty swallowing and inability to feed oneself lead to malnutrition or starvation.

The time it takes until symptoms develop (incubation period) can be up to 30 years or longer.

Exams and Tests    Return to top

A neurological exam may show changes in coordination and walking ability.

Treatment    Return to top

There is no known treatment for kuru.

Outlook (Prognosis)    Return to top

Death usually occurs within 1 year after the first sign of symptoms.

When to Contact a Medical Professional    Return to top

Call your health care provider if you have any walking, swallowing, or coordination problems. Kuru is extremely rare. Your doctor will rule out other neurological diseases.

Update Date: 11/27/2006

Updated by: D. Scott Smith, M.D., MSc, DTM&H, Chief of Infectious Disease & Geographic Medicine, Kaiser Redwood City, CA & Adjunct Assistant Professor, Stanford University. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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