Kuru | Debunking A Rare Prion Disease

Kuru is a neurodegenerative prion disease that is known for its symptom of uncontrollable laughter. However, this disease is actually quite complex. This video explores the causes, symptoms, pathophysiology, and epidemiology of Kuru disease, as well as debunks the common nickname given to this disease, "Laughing Death".

This video was created by McMaster University students Kleiton Strobl, Syed Asad Irfan, and Hassan Masood in collaboration with the Demystifying Medicine McMaster Program.

Copyright McMaster University 2022.

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This video is provided for general and educational information only. Please consult your health care provider for Information about your health.

References:

Ali, Y. O., Kitay, B. M., & Zhai, R. G. (2010). Dealing with misfolded proteins: examining the neuroprotective role of molecular chaperones in neurodegeneration. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 15(10), 6859–6887. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules15106859

Alpers, M. P. (2005). The epidemiology of kuru in the period 1987 to 1995. Communicable Diseases Intelligence. https://doi.org/10.3316/informit.507494272992490

Alpers, M. P. (2008). The epidemiology of kuru: monitoring the epidemic from its peak to its end. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 363(1510), 3707-3713.

Liberski, P. P., Gajos, A., Sikorska, B., & Lindenbaum, S. (2019). Kuru, the First Human Prion Disease. Viruses, 11(3), 232. https://doi.org/10.3390/v11030232

Liberski, P. P., Sikorska, B., Lindenbaum, S., Goldfarb, L. G., McLean, C., Hainfellner, J. A., & Brown, P. (2012). Kuru: genes, cannibals and neuropathology. Journal of neuropathology and experimental neurology, 71(2), 92–103. https://doi.org/10.1097/NEN.0b013e3182444efd