Kuru

Question 1

Kuru

Answer 1

Prion Disease
Very rare - limited to small part of Papua New Guinea

Question 2

Cause of Kuru

Answer 2

Ritual cannabilism

Women and girls eat brains of dead relatives

Question 3

Kuru mortality

Answer 3

Had a huge death rate - 2% of women and girls per year

Question 4

Strong selective pressure of Kuru

Answer 4

High death rate caused a strong selective pressure

Led to major changes in alleles present in population

Question 5

What did the allele change from and to due to Kuru?

Answer 5

Gly127 –> Val

People with Gly got Kuru and died

Question 6

Selective sweep

Answer 6

Strong selective pressure in teh enironment leads to one allele being chosen over another

Question 7

Examples of selective sweep

Answer 7

Lactose intolerance
Gene for lactase production is usually turned off after weaning BUT is found on in populations that herded cattle i.e. Europeans
As they had milk in their adult diet
- Gene reacquired due to selective pressure

Host-pathogen interactions
If a major infection is killing lots of people, those people are genetically susceptible to the pathogen
i.e. Black death

Question 8

Selective pressure in Black death

Answer 8

Killed approx 1/3 of European population
The people left were genetically resistant to Yersinia pestis

Possibly due to difference in Toll-like receptors in immune system

Question 9

Latin name for Black death and it’s attachment site in humans

Answer 9

Yersinia pestis

Attaches to Toll-like receptors