Kuru Follow-up

  • Author: Zartash Zafar Khan, MD; Chief Editor: Burke A Cunha, MD   more...
 
Updated: Jul 12, 2010
 

Deterrence/Prevention

The disease has essentially vanished because endocannibalism is no longer practiced by the Fore.

Next

Complications

Individuals with kuru progressively become vegetative and moribund. Most patients die of complications of neurological decline, such as wound infection, pneumonia, or malnutrition.[22, 21]

Previous
Next

Prognosis

Kuru is uniformly fatal.

Previous
Next

Patient Education

For excellent patient education resources, visit eMedicine's Brain and Nervous System Center. Also, see eMedicine's patient education article Mad Cow Disease and Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

The CDC’s Prion Diseases Web site is another good source of information.

Previous
 
Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Zartash Zafar Khan, MD  Fellow in Infectious Diseases, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center

Zartash Zafar Khan, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians, American Medical Association, Infectious Diseases Society of America, and International Society for Infectious Diseases

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Mark Martin Huycke, MD  Professor of Medicine, Infectious Diseases Section, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; Chief, Medical Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Oklahoma City

Mark Martin Huycke, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for Cancer Research, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American College of Physicians, American Federation for Medical Research, American Society for Microbiology, and Infectious Diseases Society of America

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Paul A Janson, MD  Instructor, Tufts University School of Medicine; Director, EMT/RN Consultants; Consulting Staff, Department of Emergency Medicine, Lawrence General Hospital

Paul A Janson, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine and American College of Emergency Physicians

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Rachel H Chung, MD  Consulting Staff, Department of Family Practice, North Clinic, North Memorial Hospital

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Mary Buechler, MD  Per Diem Staff, Department of Emergency Medicine, Caritas Holy Family Medical Center

Mary Buechler, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, and American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Martin J Wood, MD †  Former Consulting Staff, Department of Infection and Tropical Medicine, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, UK

Martin J Wood, MD † is a member of the following medical societies: Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics, American Society for Microbiology, Infectious Diseases Society of America, International Society for Infectious Diseases, and Royal College of Physicians

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD  Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine

Disclosure: eMedicine Salary Employment

Thomas M Kerkering, MD  Chief of Infectious Diseases, Virginia Tech, Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, Virginia

Thomas M Kerkering, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Physicians, American Public Health Association, American Society for Microbiology, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Infectious Diseases Society of America, Medical Society of Virginia, and Wilderness Medical Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Eleftherios Mylonakis, MD  Clinical and Research Fellow, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital

Eleftherios Mylonakis, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American College of Physicians, American Society for Microbiology, and Infectious Diseases Society of America

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Burke A Cunha, MD  Professor of Medicine, State University of New York School of Medicine at Stony Brook; Chief, Infectious Disease Division, Winthrop-University Hospital

Burke A Cunha, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians, and Infectious Diseases Society of America

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

References

  1. Collinge J. Prion diseases of humans and animals: their causes and molecular basis. Annu Rev Neurosci. 2001;24:519-50. [Medline].

  2. Wadsworth JD, Collinge J. Update on human prion disease. Biochim Biophys Acta. Jun 2007;1772(6):598-609. [Medline].

  3. Almond JW. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy and new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Br Med Bull. 1998;54(3):749-59. [Medline].

  4. Belay ED, Schonberger LB. The public health impact of prion diseases. Annu Rev Public Health. 2005;26:191-212. [Medline].

  5. Gajdusek DC. Unconventional viruses and the origin and disappearance of kuru. Science. Sep 2 1977;197(4307):943-60. [Medline].

  6. Liberski PP, Brown P. Kuru: a half-opened window onto the landscape of neurodegenerative diseases. Folia Neuropathol. 2004;42 Suppl A:3-14. [Medline].

  7. Grabow JD, Campbell RJ, Okazaki H, et al. A transmissible subacute spongiform encephalopathy in a visitor to the eastern highlands of New Guinea. Brain. Dec 1976;99(4):637-58. [Medline].

  8. Gajdusek DC, Zigas V, Baker J. Studies on kuru. III. Patterns of kuru incidence: demographic and geographic epidemiological analysis. Am J Trop Med Hyg. Jul 1961;10:599-627. [Medline].

  9. Hornabrook RW. Kuru. Contemp Neurol Ser. 1975;12:71-90;294. [Medline].

  10. Collinge J, Whitfield J, McKintosh E, Beck J, Mead S, Thomas DJ, et al. Kuru in the 21st century--an acquired human prion disease with very long incubation periods. Lancet. Jun 24 2006;367(9528):2068-74. [Medline].

  11. Whitfield JT, Pako WH, Collinge J, Alpers MP. Mortuary rites of the South Fore and kuru. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. Nov 27 2008;363(1510):3721-4. [Medline].

  12. Alpers MP. Review. The epidemiology of kuru: monitoring the epidemic from its peak to its end. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. Nov 27 2008;363(1510):3707-13. [Medline].

  13. Prusiner SB. Novel proteinaceous infectious particles cause scrapie. Science. Apr 9 1982;216(4542):136-44. [Medline].

  14. Mead S, Whitfield J, Poulter M, Shah P, Uphill J, Campbell T, et al. A novel protective prion protein variant that colocalizes with kuru exposure. N Engl J Med. Nov 19 2009;361(21):2056-65. [Medline].

  15. Lee HS, Brown P, Cervenakova L, et al. Increased susceptibility to Kuru of carriers of the PRNP 129 methionine/methionine genotype. J Infect Dis. Jan 15 2001;183(2):192-196. [Medline].

  16. Collinge J. Molecular neurology of prion disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. Jul 2005;76(7):906-19. [Medline].

  17. Brandner S, Whitfield J, Boone K, Puwa A, O'Malley C, Linehan JM, et al. Central and peripheral pathology of kuru: pathological analysis of a recent case and comparison with other forms of human prion disease. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. Nov 27 2008;363(1510):3755-63. [Medline].

  18. Chakraborty C, Nandi S, Jana S. Prion disease: a deadly disease for protein misfolding. Curr Pharm Biotechnol. Apr 2005;6(2):167-77. [Medline].

  19. Collinge J. Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Lancet. Jul 24 1999;354(9175):317-23. [Medline].

  20. Collinge J. Human prion diseases and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Hum Mol Genet. 1997;6(10):1699-705. [Medline].

  21. Hornabrook RW. Kuru--a subacute cerebellar degeneration. The natural history and clinical features. Brain. Mar 1968;91(1):53-74. [Medline].

  22. Mandell G, Bennett J, Dolin R. Prions and prion diseases of the central nervous system. In: Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. Vol 2. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2005:2221.

  23. Fiorino AS. Sleep, genes and death: fatal familial insomnia. Brain Res Brain Res Rev. Oct 1996;22(3):258-64. [Medline].

  24. Ridley RM, Baker HF. The myth of maternal transmission of spongiform encephalopathy. BMJ. Oct 21 1995;311(7012):1071-5; discussion 1075-6. [Medline].

  25. Collinge J. New diagnostic tests for prion diseases. N Engl J Med. Sep 26 1996;335(13):963-5. [Medline].

  26. Lampert PW, Gajdusek DC, Gibbs CJ. Subacute spongiform virus encephalopathies. Scrapie, Kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a review. Am J Pathol. Sep 1972;68(3):626-52. [Medline].

  27. Fichet G, Comoy E, Duval C, Antloga K, Dehen C, Charbonnier A, et al. Novel methods for disinfection of prion-contaminated medical devices. Lancet. Aug 7-13 2004;364(9433):521-6. [Medline].

  28. Rogez-Kreuz C, Yousfi R, Soufflet C, Quadrio I, Yan ZX, Huyot V, et al. Inactivation of animal and human prions by hydrogen peroxide gas plasma sterilization. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. Aug 2009;30(8):769-77. [Medline].

  29. Greenlee JJ, Nicholson EM, Hamir AN, Noyes GP, Holtzapple MT, Kehrli ME Jr. Ablation of prion protein immunoreactivity by heating in saturated calcium hydroxide. BMC Res Notes. Oct 28 2008;1:99. [Medline]. [Full Text].

  30. Gajdusek DC, Gibbs CJ Jr, Alpers M. Transmission and passage of experimental "kuru" to chimpanzees. Science. Jan 13 1967;155(759):212-4. [Medline].

  31. Brown P, Will RG, Bradley R, et al. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: background, evolution, and current concerns. Emerg Infect Dis. Jan-Feb 2001;7(1):6-16. [Medline].

  32. Brown P, Bradley R. 1755 and all that: a historical primer of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. BMJ. Dec 19-26 1998;317(7174):1688-92. [Medline].

  33. Carp RI, Kascsak RJ, Wisniewski HM, et al. The nature of the unconventional slow infection agents remains a puzzle. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. Spring-Summer 1989;3(1-2):79-99. [Medline].

  34. Collinge J, Whitfield J, McKintosh E, Frosh A, Mead S, Hill AF, et al. A clinical study of kuru patients with long incubation periods at the end of the epidemic in Papua New Guinea. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. Nov 27 2008;363(1510):3725-39. [Medline].

  35. Gajdusek DC. Kuru: an appraisal of five years of investigation. Eugen Q. Mar 1962;9:69-74. [Medline].

  36. Gajdusek DC, Zigas V. Degenerative disease of the central nervous system in New Guinea; the endemic occurrence of kuru in the native population. N Engl J Med. Nov 14 1957;257(20):974-8. [Medline].

  37. Gardash'ian AM. [Kuru]. Zh Nevropatol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 1969;69(5):767-72. [Medline].

  38. Hadlow WJ. Scrapie and Kuru. Lancet. 1959;2:289-290.

  39. Keohane C. The human prion diseases. A review with special emphasis on new variant CJD and comments on surveillance. Clin Exp Pathol. 1999;47(3-4):125-32. [Medline].

  40. Lessons from kuru. Lancet. Jun 24 2006;367(9528):2034. [Medline].

  41. Liberski PP, Brown P. Kuru: its ramifications after fifty years. Exp Gerontol. Jan-Feb 2009;44(1-2):63-9. [Medline].

  42. Lindenbaum S. Review. Understanding kuru: the contribution of anthropology and medicine. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. Nov 27 2008;363(1510):3715-20. [Medline].

  43. Mead S, Whitfield J, Poulter M, Shah P, Uphill J, Beck J, et al. Genetic susceptibility, evolution and the kuru epidemic. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. Nov 27 2008;363(1510):3741-6. [Medline].

  44. Miller MW, Williams ES. Chronic wasting disease of cervids. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 2004;284:193-214. [Medline].

  45. Mocsny N. The spongiform encephalopathies: prion diseases. J Neurosci Nurs. Oct 1998;30(5):302-6. [Medline].

  46. Nutr Rev. Nutrition and infection: cannibalism. Nutr Rev. Oct 1971;29(10):226-7. [Medline].

  47. Polo JM. [The history and classification of human prion diseases]. Rev Neurol. Jul 16-31 2000;31(2):137-41. [Medline].

  48. Serpell LC, Sunde M, Blake CC. The molecular basis of amyloidosis. Cell Mol Life Sci. Dec 1997;53(11-12):871-87. [Medline].

  49. Simpson NE. The map of chromosome 20. J Med Genet. Dec 1988;25(12):794-804. [Medline].

  50. Sy MS, Gambetti P, Wong BS. Human prion diseases. Med Clin North Am. May 2002;86(3):551-71, vi-vii. [Medline].

  51. Toledano-Gasca A. Hypotheses concerning the aetiology of Alzheimer's disease. Pharmacopsychiatry. Aug 1988;21 Suppl 1:17-25. [Medline].

  52. Tyler KL. Prions and prion diseases of the central nervous system. Curr Clin Top Infect Dis. 1999;19:226-51. [Medline].

  53. Verdrager J. Kuru and "new variant" CJD. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. Sep 1997;28(3):535-40. [Medline].

  54. Wadsworth JD, Joiner S, Linehan JM, Asante EA, Brandner S, Collinge J. Review. The origin of the prion agent of kuru: molecular and biological strain typing. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. Nov 27 2008;363(1510):3747-53. [Medline].

  55. Will RG, Ironside JW, Zeidler M, et al. A new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the UK. Lancet. Apr 6 1996;347(9006):921-5. [Medline].

  56. Wojtowicz S. Multiple sclerosis and prions. Med Hypotheses. Jan 1993;40(1):48-54. [Medline].

  57. Zigas V, Gajdusek DC. Kuru: clinical study of a new syndrome resembling paralysis agitans in natives of the Eastern Highlands of Australian New Guinea. Med J Aust. Nov 23 1957;44(21):745-54. [Medline].

 
Previous
Next
 
 
 
 
All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2012 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

DISCLAIMER: The content of this Website is not influenced by sponsors. The site is designed primarily for use by qualified physicians and other medical professionals. The information contained herein should NOT be used as a substitute for the advice of an appropriately qualified and licensed physician or other health care provider. The information provided here is for educational and informational purposes only. In no way should it be considered as offering medical advice. Please check with a physician if you suspect you are ill.