Kuru

The paper begins with a discussion on the discovery of kuru, a degenerative disease of the central nervous system. This is followed by a look at the cultural life of the Fore tribe, the natural hosts of kuru. The clinical characteristics, laboratory data, post-mortem findings and histopathology of kuru victims are also discussed. The extensive transmission experiments involving kuru is the next topic presented. Next, a classification of disease, the origin of kuru the infectious agent involved, the etiology, the epidemiology and a possible genetic basis for kuru is given. The paper ends with a look into some of the most recent and promising experiments involving kuru