title: Anti-Gal-C antibody in autoimmune neuropathies subsequent to mycoplasma infection.
abstract: Four of 82 patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and 1 of 12 with multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN), who previously had had Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections, had serum antibody to galactocerebroside (Gal-C). Two patients with GBS without mycoplasma infection also had anti-Gal-C antibody, whereas none of the normal or the disease controls had it. As Gal-C is a major glycolipid antigen in myelin, anti-Gal-C antibody may function in the pathogenesis of autoimmune demyelinative neuropathies. Mycoplasma pneumoniae appears to be an important preceding infectious agent in autoimmune neuropathies with anti-Gal-C antibody.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kusunoki
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiba
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hitoshi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takizawa
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kanazawa
mesh_terms: D000906:Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D005699:Galactosylceramides / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D009468:Neuromuscular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D011019:Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology*; D011129:Polyradiculoneuropathy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D005699:Galactosylceramides; C002454:galactocerebroside