A 3-year-old boy with Guillain-Barré syndrome and encephalitis associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection.
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common cause of respiratory tract illness in children. Among the most common extrapulmonary manifestations are disorders of the central nervous system, including meningitis, meningoencephalitis, cerebellitis, polyneuropathy, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Guillain-Barré syndrome, also known as acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, is an acute-onset, immune-mediated disorder of the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system is usually intact in patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome. However, there have been some reports of an association of Guillain-Barré syndrome with central nervous system involvement in children. We report a 3-year-old boy with M. pneumoniae infection associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome and encephalitis. Both serum anti-GM1 ganglioside (IgG and IgM) and anti-galactocerebroside IgG antibodies were detected in our patient: the former in the earlier stage of the disease, and the latter in the later stage. We speculate that anti-GM1 ganglioside was associated more with encephalitis, and anti-galactocerebroside antibody was associated more with GBS in our case. Our patient is the youngest report of Guillain-Barré syndrome with central nervous system involvement, and the first report of a pediatric patient with associated M. pneumoniae infection. Such cases are rarely reported, but highlight the need for awareness of the association of the infection with Guillain-Barré syndrome with central nervous system involvement.
Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Fumie
F
Hanzawa
Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: fuchigami.tatsuo@nihon-u.ac.jp.
Tatsuo
T
Fuchigami
Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Wakako
W
Ishii
Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Sonoko
S
Nakajima
Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Yuki
Y
Kawamura
Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Ayumi
A
Endo
Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Chikako
C
Arakawa
Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Ryutaro
R
Kohira
Division of Medical Education Planning, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Yukihiko
Y
Fujita
Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Shori
S
Takahashi
D002675:Child, Preschool; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011019:Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / Q000150:complications*
Anti-GM1 ganglioside antibody; Anti-galactocerebroside antibody; Children; Encephalitis; Guillain–Barré syndrome; Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection