Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy caused by a prion. See Creutzfeldt-Jakob and Prions programs.Encyclopedia Entry for Kuru :Kuru - prion (a protein)Encyclopedia Entry for Kuru :Kuru. Kuru is a very rare disease. It is caused by an infectious protein (prion) found in contaminated human brain tissue. Kuru is found among people from New Guinea who practiced a form of cannibalism in which they ate the brains of dead people as part of a funeral ritual. This practice stopped in 1960, but cases of kuru were reported for many years afterward because the disease has a long incubation period. The incubation period is the time it takes for symptoms to appear after being exposed to the agent that causes disease. Kuru causes brain and nervous system changes similar to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Similar diseases appear in cows as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also called mad cow disease. The main risk factor for kuru is eating human brain tissue, which can contain the infectious particles.Symptoms of kuru include: Arm and leg pain Coordination problems that become severe Difficulty walking Headache Swallowing difficulty Tremors and muscle jerks Difficulty swallowing and being unable to feed oneself can lead to malnutrition or starvation. The average incubation period is 10 to 13 years, but incubation periods of 50 years or even longer have been reported.A neurologic exam may show changes in coordination and walking ability.There is no known treatment for kuru.Death usually occurs within 1 year after the first sign of symptoms.See your health care provider if you have any walking, swallowing, or coordination problems. Kuru is extremely rare. Your provider will rule out other nervous system diseases.Prion disease - kuru.Central nervous system Central nervous system and peripheral nervous system.Bosque PJ, Tyler KL. Prions and prion diseases of the central nervous system (transmissible neurodegenerative diseases).Encyclopedia Entry for Kuru :Kuru. Source of disease: PRNP