title: Brucella melitensis infection associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome through molecular mimicry of host structures.
abstract: Brucella melitensis is a facultative intracellular bacterium that can survive inside macrophages and the causative agent of brucellosis. In the present study, we found that a lipooligosaccharide of B. melitensis has a GM1 ganglioside-like structure and shows a strong antibody response in mice. The cholera toxin B subunit, which binds to GM1 ganglioside specifically, reacted with the surface of B. melitensis. Immunization with B. melitensis induced the production of anti-GM1 ganglioside antibodies in mice and serum from immunized mice showed a cross-reaction with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)-associated Campylobacter jejuni, but not non-GBS-associated C. jejuni. When B. melitensis was treated with a neuraminidase, antibody responses disappeared. B. melitensis immunization induced the production of anti-GM1 ganglioside antibodies in BALB/c mice but not in C57BL/6 and ddY mice, and for BALB/c mice, immunization with B. melitensis induced much greater production of anti-GM1 ganglioside than GBS-associated C. jejuni. Flaccid limb weakness was observed in B. melitensis immunized mice. These results suggest that B. melitensis is a new etiological agent for GBS and that immunological responses between it and GBS-associated C. jejuni in the mouse model may be different.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Veterinary Science, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenta
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Suk
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Megumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishiguchi
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Masahisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watarai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D017347:Brucella melitensis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology*; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D002772:Cholera Toxin / Q000378:metabolism; D003429:Cross Reactions; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018716:Molecular Mimicry
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; C023023:lipid-linked oligosaccharides; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside; D002772:Cholera Toxin