Abstract
Kuru, the first human prion disease was transmitted to chimpanzees by D. Carleton Gajdusek (1923–2008). In this review, we summarize the history of this seminal discovery, its anthropological background, epidemiology, clinical picture, neuropathology, and molecular genetics. We provide descriptions of electron microscopy and confocal microscopy of kuru amyloid plaques retrieved from a paraffin-embedded block of an old kuru case, named Kupenota. The discovery of kuru opened new vistas of human medicine and was pivotal in the subsequent transmission of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, as well as the relevance that bovine spongiform encephalopathy had for transmission to humans. The transmission of kuru was one of the greatest contributions to biomedical sciences of the 20th century.
Highlights
Introduction“Kuru”, the the first first prion “Kuru”, prion disease, disease, was was discovered discovered by by D
Suggested that kuru represents to subsequent transmission of Creutzfeldt–Jakob (CJD)
As Gajdusek emphasized for the last time in his life at the Royal on kurumeeting in 2007 [18], the research on kuru advancedonthe ideas of molecular casting, dermatoglyphics, Society on kuru in 2007 [18], the research kuru advanced the ideas of molecular casting, osmium shadowing in electron microscopy, and amyloid-enhancing factors
Summary
1) [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]. [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]. It was first transmissible spongiform encephalopathy” (TSE), or slow unconventional virus disease It was first reported in reported in two two publications publications by by Gajdusek. Suggested that kuru represents to subsequent transmission of Creutzfeldt–Jakob (CJD). [16] and suggested that kurua novel class aofnovel diseases caused by a novel class prions. Kuru a Nobel prize represents class of diseases caused byofa pathogens novel classcalled of pathogens calledwon prions. As Gajdusek emphasized for the last time in his life at the Royal on kurumeeting in 2007 [18], the research on kuru advancedonthe ideas of molecular casting, dermatoglyphics, Society on kuru in 2007 [18], the research kuru advanced the ideas of molecular casting, osmium shadowing in electron microscopy, and amyloid-enhancing factors. Osmium shadowing in electron microscopy, and amyloid-enhancing factors. Kuru the concepts of nucleation–polymerization and led to an idea ofand conformational [19,20,21] or research impacted the concepts of nucleation–polymerization led to an ideadisorders of conformational prionoids [22]. or prionoids [22]
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