What is the method of transmission of the prion disease kuru?
Question
What is the method of transmission of the prion disease kuru?
Solution
Kuru is a prion disease, which is a type of neurological disorder. It was primarily found among the Fore people of Papua New Guinea who practiced a form of endocannibalism, where they ate the brains of their dead as a part of a funeral ritual.
-
The prion disease Kuru is transmitted through a process called endocannibalism. This is a cultural practice where the members of a tribe consume the flesh of their deceased relatives as a part of their mourning process.
-
In the case of Kuru, the Fore people of Papua New Guinea were consuming the brains of their deceased relatives. The brain is where the prion proteins, which cause Kuru, are most concentrated.
-
When a person consumes infected brain tissue, the abnormal prion proteins can induce the normal proteins in their body to also misfold, leading to the disease.
-
The disease is not airborne, and cannot be transmitted through casual contact. It is specifically the act of consuming infected brain tissue that transmits the disease.
-
It's important to note that since the cessation of cannibalistic practices among the Fore people, Kuru has almost completely disappeared, further supporting the method of transmission.
-
In summary, Kuru is transmitted through the consumption of infected brain tissue, specifically through the cultural practice of endocannibalism.
Similar Questions
Prions (short for proteinaceous infectious particle) are infectious protein structures that replicate throughconversion of normal host proteins of the same type. Though the exact mechanisms of their actions andreproduction are unknown, it is now commonly accepted that prions are responsible for a number ofpreviously known but little-understood diseases generally classified under transmissible spongiformencephalopathy diseases (TSEs), including scrapie (a disease of sheep), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or mad cow disease). These diseases affect the structure ofbrain tissue and all are fatal and untreatable.Not all prions are dangerous; in fact, prion-like proteins are found naturally in many (perhaps all) plants andanimals. Because of this, scientists reasoned that such proteins could give some sort of evolutionaryadvantage to their host.6) TSE, BSE and scrapie are all forms of CJD.A. TrueB. FalseC. Can't say
Prion diseases are not all dangerous and could give some evolutionaryadvantage to their host.A. TrueB. FalseC. Can't say
How are the transmission, prevention, and treatment of infectious diseases similar to and different from these processes in other diseases?
Select all diseases caused by prions.Multiple select question.Creutzfeldt-Jakob diseaseMad cow diseaseScrapie in sheepTuberculosisInfluenza
What is priming? How it protects?
Upgrade your grade with Knowee
Get personalized homework help. Review tough concepts in more detail, or go deeper into your topic by exploring other relevant questions.