Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 3, 2026
Stereotaxic Surgery for Implantation of Microelectrode Arrays in the Common Marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)
Published on: September 29, 2019
Human spongiform encephalopathies in marmoset monkeys (Saguinus sp.)
Abstract:
Brain homogenates (10% w/v) from five of seven kuru patients inoculated intracerebrally (i.c., 0.1 ml) into marmosets (Saguinus sp.) induced a rapidly progressive CNS disease 26, 31, 36, 76 and 94 months postinoculation. Serial marmoset passages of kuru were accomplished by i.c. inoculation of neonatal marmosets with brain homogenates from marmosets with experimentally induced kuru. The incubation periods ranged from 1.5 to 11 months (average 7.3) in 19 animals, 20-25 months in four animals and greater than 26 months in two animals. Symptoms and brain lesions of the induced disease were compatible with kuru as observed in humans and other nonhuman primates. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) has been induced by i.c. inoculation of marmosets with brain homogenates from two of four human CJD patients with incubation periods of 43 and 54 months and is in serial passage.
Insights
Kuru, a human prion disease, was transmitted to marmosets, causing progressive central nervous system (CNS) disease. This study demonstrates kuru
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Prion Diseases
- Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies
Background:
- Kuru is a fatal, neurodegenerative prion disease historically linked to ritualistic cannibalism in Papua New Guinea.
- Understanding kuru's transmission is crucial for public health and prion disease research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the experimental transmission of kuru to nonhuman primates.
- To characterize the incubation period and disease progression in marmosets inoculated with kuru brain homogenates.
Main Methods:
- Intracerebral inoculation of kuru brain homogenates into marmosets (Saguinus sp.).
- Serial passage of the induced disease through subsequent generations of marmosets.
- Clinical observation and neuropathological examination of affected animals.
Main Results:
- Five of seven kuru-infected marmosets developed progressive CNS disease with incubation periods ranging from 26 to 94 months.
- Serial passage in neonatal marmosets resulted in shorter incubation periods (1.5–11 months average).
- Induced disease symptoms and lesions were consistent with human kuru and other primate models.
Conclusions:
- Marmosets are susceptible to kuru infection, serving as a viable model for studying prion disease pathogenesis.
- Experimental transmission provides insights into kuru's incubation period and neuropathological characteristics.
- This research supports the understanding of prion disease transmission and infectivity.
