Given that kuru was historically and geographically constrained and that there have been no cases of the disease since 2005, it is unsurprising that recent and future research into the disease has been limited. The most recent findings relating to kuru were reported by Mead et al. in their paper on genetic immunity to kuru in the Fore people (2009). Now that the disease is extinct, interest in the disease has faltered, only exacerbated by the fact that there are virtually no more intact kuru infected brains available for study (Hainfellner et al., 1997). Thus, although kuru has provided great insight into prion mediated neurodegeneration and was fundamental to the development of prion theory, it is no longer the object of much scientific research.
In summary, kuru is a neurodegenerative disorder that is historically constrained to the mid-20th century and geographically limited to the Fore speaking tribes of Papua New Guinea. It originated by spontaneous CJD in one individual and spread to other individuals via these tribes’ cannibalistic mortuary rites. Its root biological cause is prions, that produce neurotoxic compounds as they aggregate into undegradable deposits found most prominently the cerebral cortex, the cingulate cortex, the striatum, the thalamus, and the cerebellar cortex. Thus far, kuru can only be prevented by genetic immunity via mutations in the PrP gene. Otherwise, there is no cure for kuru and death is its only prognosis.
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