MeSH Browser

MeSH Heading: Kuru
Tree Number(s): C01.207.800.435; C10.228.228.800.435; C10.574.843.625
Unique ID: D007729
RDF Unique Identifier: http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D007729
Annotation: do not confuse with KORO, a depersonalization disord
Scope Note: A prion disease found exclusively among the Fore linguistic group natives of the highlands of NEW GUINEA. The illness is primarily restricted to adult females and children of both sexes. It is marked by the subacute onset of tremor and ataxia followed by motor weakness and incontinence. Death occurs within 3-6 months of disease onset. The condition is associated with ritual cannibalism, and has become rare since this practice has been discontinued. Pathologic features include a noninflammatory loss of neurons that is most prominent in the cerebellum, glial proliferation, and amyloid plaques. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p773)
Entry Term(s): Encephalopathy, Kuru; Kuru Encephalopathy
NLM Classification #: WL 301
Date Established: 1966/01/01
Date of Entry: 1999/01/01
Revision Date: 2019/06/17

Allowable Qualifiers: blood (BL)

cerebrospinal fluid (CF)

chemically induced (CI)

classification (CL)

complications (CO)

congenital (CN)

diagnosis (DI)

diagnostic imaging (DG)

diet therapy (DH)

drug therapy (DT)

economics (EC)

embryology (EM)

enzymology (EN)

epidemiology (EP)

ethnology (EH)

etiology (ET)

genetics (GE)

history (HI)

immunology (IM)

metabolism (ME)

microbiology (MI)

mortality (MO)

nursing (NU)

parasitology (PS)

pathology (PA)

physiopathology (PP)

prevention & control (PC)

psychology (PX)

radiotherapy (RT)

rehabilitation (RH)

surgery (SU)

therapy (TH)

transmission (TM)

urine (UR)

veterinary (VE)

virology (VI)

Concept UI: M0012084
Scope Note: A prion disease found exclusively among the Fore linguistic group natives of the highlands of NEW GUINEA. The illness is primarily restricted to adult females and children of both sexes. It is marked by the subacute onset of tremor and ataxia followed by motor weakness and incontinence. Death occurs within 3-6 months of disease onset. The condition is associated with ritual cannibalism, and has become rare since this practice has been discontinued. Pathologic features include a noninflammatory loss of neurons that is most prominent in the cerebellum, glial proliferation, and amyloid plaques. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p773)
Terms: Kuru Preferred Term
Term UI T023178
Date01/01/1999
LexicalTag NON
ThesaurusID NLM (1966); Kuru Encephalopathy
Term UI T368847
Date11/03/1999
LexicalTag NON
ThesaurusID NLM (2000); Encephalopathy, Kuru
Term UI T368848
Date11/03/1999
LexicalTag NON
ThesaurusID NLM (2000)

Kuru MeSH Descriptor Data 2025