Enteritis caused by Campylobacter jejuni followed by acute motor axonal neuropathy: a case report.
BACKGROUND
Campylobacter species represent the main cause of bacterial diarrhea in developed countries and one of the most frequent causes of enterocolitis in developing ones. In some patients, Campylobacter jejuni infection of the gastrointestinal tract has been observed as an antecedent illness of acute motor axonal neuropathy, a variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome.


METHODS
We present a case of acute motor axonal neuropathy following infection with Campylobacter jejuni subspecies jejuni, biotype II, heat stable serotype O:19. A 46-year-old Caucasian man developed acute motor neuropathy 10 days after mild intestinal infection. The proximal and distal muscle weakness of his upper and lower extremities was associated with serum antibodies to Campylobacter jejuni and antibodies to ganglioside GM1. The electromyographic signs of neuropathic muscle action potentials with almost normal nerve conduction velocities indicated axonal neuropathy. Our patient's clinical and electrophysiological features fulfilled criteria for the diagnosis of an acute motor axonal neuropathy, a subtype of Guillain-Barré syndrome.


CONCLUSIONS
As this is the first case of acute motor axonal neuropathy following infection with Campylobacter jejuni subspecies jejuni reported from the Balkan area, the present findings indicate the need for systematic studies and further clinical, epidemiological and microbiological investigations on the prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni and its heat stable serotypes in the etiology of Guillain-Barré syndrome and other post-infectious sequelae.
Miljković-Selimović
Biljana
B
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Nis, Bul Dr Z Dindića, 81, 18000 Nis, Serbia. biljams@eunet.rs.
Lavrnić
Dragana
D
Morić
Olga
O
Ng
Lai-King
LK
Price
Lawrence
L
Suturkova
Ljubica
L
Kocic
Branislava
B
Babić
Tatjana
T
Ristić
Ljiljana
L
Apostolski
Slobodan
S