Definition of kuru
: a rare progressive fatal prion disease that resembles Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and has occurred among tribespeople in eastern New Guinea who engaged in a form of ritual cannibalism
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These mysterious misfolded proteins are thought to cause kuru, scrapie, and mad cow disease, as well as the fatal insomnia referred to in the title.
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Origin and Etymology of kuru
Fore (language of eastern highland Papua New Guinea)
First Known Use: 1957
Medical Dictionary
kuru
playMedical Definition of kuru
: a rare progressive fatal prion disease that resembles Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and has occurred among tribespeople in eastern New Guinea who engaged in a form of ritual cannibalism—called also laughing death, laughing sickness
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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about kuru
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