title: Anti-ganglioside GM1 antibodies in Guillain-Barré syndrome and their relationship to Campylobacter jejuni infection.
abstract: To clarify the association between Campylobacter jejuni (Cj) infection and antibodies to ganglioside GM1 (anti-GM1) in Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), we have carried out a prospective case-control study of 96 patients with GBS. Cj infection occurred in 25 (26%) patients. IgG and/or IgM anti-GM1 were identified in 24 (25%) patients and in 1 of 71 (1.4%) household controls (p < 0.001). Thirteen of the 25 (52%) Cj-positive patients had anti-GM1 compared with 11 of the 71 (15%) Cj-negative patients (p < 0.001). Neither the peak overall disability nor the 1-year disability differed between the anti-GM1-positive and anti-GM1-negative patients. However, patients with the combination of Cj infection and anti-GM1 positivity recovered more slowly than Cj/anti-GM1-negative patients (p = 0.05), were more likely to have axonal degeneration, and were significantly more disabled at the end of 1 year (p = 0.02). The presence of Cj infection is more important than anti-GM1 positivity in determining the extent of axonal involvement and, hence, prognosis. Since the presence of anti-GM1 is not a significant poor-prognostic factor, a search should be made for other properties of Cj infection that would account for its relationship to axonal degeneration.
mesh_terms: D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D016015:Logistic Models; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology; D011129:Polyradiculoneuropathy / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D015415:Biomarkers; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside