Kuru

Causes and Risks:
Kuru is a slow-virus disease, once prevalent in New Guinea and rarely seen now. Kuru causes neurodegenerative changes similar to another slow virus disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease , whose distribution is worldwide. In addition, similar slow-virus diseases appear in sheep as scrapie, mink as mink encephalopathy, and in cows as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease has been found with increased incidence in North Africa where sheep brains and eyes are a common part of the diet.

Kuru may begin with a gait disturbance (cerebellar ataxia ) and increasing incoordination . Incoordination leads to severe disability. Tremors and shivering are characteristic findings. Difficulty in swallowing and inability to feed oneself lead to malnutrition or starvation. Death occurs several years after the onset of symptoms.

Prevention:
The incidence of kuru diminished considerably with the discontinuance of cannibalism and ritualistic butchereing.

Symptoms:



Signs and Tests:
Neurologic evaluation may show characteristic changes in coordination and gait.

Treatment:
No treatment is currently available for kuru or any of the slow-virus diseases.

Prognosis:
Kuru is universally fatal.

Complications:
(not applicable)

Call Your Healthcare Provider:
Call your health care provider if you have any gait disturbance, swallowing difficulty , or incoordination . Although kuru is very rare now, other severe neurologic disorders can cause these symptoms.