How Does Kuru Disease Affect the Human Nervous System?
Kuru disease is commonly found in people of New Guinea who practice cannibalism, a disease in which they eat the brains of dead people. It is also known as a laughing death disease because it can make people laugh until they die. This disease caused havoc in the early 1900s. At present, there is not any known case of this disease.
What is Kuru Disease?
Kuru disease is a highly lethal, rare, incurable, and neurodegenerative disease caused by abnormally folded proteins called prions. The word kuru means “shaking”, which is the main symptom of this disease.
Kuru Disease Symptoms and Signs
Difficulty in walking.
Headache.
Swallowing difficulty, also known as dysphagia, may lead to malnutrition.
Tremors and muscle jerks.
Loss of coordination.
Dysarthria means difficulty pronouncing words.
Secondary infections.
Abrupt obsessive laughing and crying.
Causes of Kuru Disease
The main causing agent of this disease is a prion, which is an abnormally folded protein.
Kuru disease relates to a class of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, also known as prions disease, that especially affects the cerebellum.
This disease can be caused by eating the brain of the infected brain or by coming in contact with an infected wound.
Diagnosis of Kuru Disease
Neurological Examination - This includes medical history, neurological function test, and blood test.
Electroencephalogram - This test is used to examine the brain's electrical activity.
Kuru Disease Treatment
There is not any successful treatment for the kuru disease.
Only by preventing the activity of cannibalism can we prevent this disease.
We can only give symptomatic treatment to relieve symptoms but can't cure the disease completely.
Stop people from eating brains.
Precaution to Stop Kuru Disease
Interesting Facts About Kuru Disease
The incubation period of kuru disease is 10-13 years.
Women and children are mostly affected by this disease because men are used to eating muscle components of the human body, while children and women are used to eating the brains of human corpses as a part of their ritual.
People can survive only for 6-12 months after the first symptom of this disease.
The last case of kuru was seen in 2006.
Kuru disease is also known as laughing death disease because this disease makes us laugh until we die, thus, leading to death.
Important Questions
Why is there no successful treatment of Kuru?
Ans: Kuru disease is caused by prions, and it is very difficult to kill prions; they can't be easily destroyed. They can't even be killed with formaldehyde. Prions are not living organisms, so it is very difficult to kill them.
Kuru disease is caused by which agent?
Ans: Kuru disease is caused by abnormally folded proteins known as prions. These infectious agents are only made up of protein without genetic material.
What are prions?
Ans: Prions are abnormally folded proteins that can cause disease in humans and animals by activating normal healthy proteins in the brain to fold abnormally.
Summary
Kuru disease is a very rare disease caused by prions. Its average incubation period is 10-13 years, but in some cases, it may be 50 years or above. There is no known treatment for this disease, only inhibiting the practice of cannibalism can prevent the spreading of this disease. At present, there is not any known case of this disease; the last case was identified in 2006.
Practice Questions
Q1. What do prions do to humans?
Q2. What are examples of prions?
Q3. How do humans get kuru disease?
Q4. Are prions a living thing?
Q5. What is the difference between viroids and prions?
FAQs on Kuru Disease: Causes, Effects & Key Facts
1. What is Kuru disease, and why is it sometimes called the 'laughing sickness'?
Kuru is a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease. It earned the name 'laughing sickness' not because of happiness, but because it can cause victims to experience sudden, uncontrollable bursts of laughter, alongside body tremors and a loss of coordination. This condition is caused by infectious proteins called prions.
2. What is the main cause of Kuru disease in humans?
Kuru disease is caused by abnormally folded proteins known as prions. These are not bacteria or viruses. When these prions get into the body, they trigger normally shaped proteins in the brain to also misfold. This creates a chain reaction that leads to brain damage and the severe symptoms of the disease.
3. Is it possible to survive or get cured of Kuru disease?
No, unfortunately, there is no cure for Kuru disease, and it is always fatal. Once the symptoms begin, the disease progresses rapidly, and there are no treatments that can stop or reverse the damage to the brain. Medical care focuses only on making the patient more comfortable.
4. How did people contract Kuru disease?
Kuru was primarily transmitted through a form of ritualistic cannibalism practised by the Fore people of Papua New Guinea. The disease spread when individuals consumed the brain tissue of deceased relatives who were infected with Kuru prions. The disease has nearly vanished since this practice was stopped.
5. How are prions different from viruses or bacteria?
Prions are unique infectious agents that are very different from viruses and bacteria. The main differences are:
- Composition: Prions are made only of protein. They do not contain any genetic material like DNA or RNA, which viruses and bacteria use to replicate.
- Replication: Instead of multiplying like other germs, prions convert existing, normal proteins into the misfolded, infectious form.
6. How does Kuru disease actually damage the brain?
The accumulation of abnormal prion proteins in the brain is toxic to nerve cells (neurons). This buildup leads to the death of neurons, creating microscopic, sponge-like holes in the brain tissue. This process, known as spongiform encephalopathy, disrupts brain function and causes progressive and irreversible neurological symptoms like tremors, loss of coordination, and dementia.
7. Are there other human or animal diseases similar to Kuru?
Yes, Kuru belongs to a group of diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Other examples include:
- Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) in humans.
- Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), famously known as 'Mad Cow Disease,' in cattle.
- Scrapie, which affects sheep and goats.
- Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), found in deer, elk, and moose.
