kuru /ko̅o̅″ro̅o̅/ [New Guinea, trembling with fear] , a slow, progressive, fatal infection of the central nervous system that was endemic to natives of the New Guinea highlands. The incubation period could be 30 or more years, but death usually occurred within months of the onset of symptoms. It was characterized by ataxia and decreased coordination progressing to paralysis, dementia, slurring of speech, and visual disturbances. Disease was transmitted by ritual cannibalism of brain tissue during funeral rites. The last sufferer of kuru in New Guinea died in 2005. This disease is a model for prion diseases such as BSE and variant CJD.
