Kuru was transmitted through cannibalistic rituals that were commonplace in Papua New Guinea until the 1950’s. Similarly, in the UK and elsewhere, healthy cattle were fed meat and bone meal made from infected cattle.
库鲁病通过食人习俗传播，巴布亚新几内亚直到20世纪50年代一直有这种习惯。类似地，在英国和其他地方，健康的牛被喂以用病牛骨肉制作的斯料。由此引发的家畜传染病影响了28万多头牛。在1992年疯牛病高发期，每周都有近1000头牛报告发病。