POSTINFECTIOUS ENCEPHALITIS WITH ANTI-GALACTOCEREBROSIDE ANTIBODY SUBSEQUENT TO MYCOPLASMA-PNEUMONIAE INFECTION

Galactocerebroside (Gc) is a major component of myelin in both the per ipheral and central nervous systems. Although it is regarded as an imp ortant glycolipid hapten of myelin in rabbit experimental allergic neu ritis (EAN), its role in human demyelinating diseases is not known. We studied three post-infectious encephalitis (PIE) patients related to Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. All three of three patients with ence phalitis and M. pneumoniae infection were positive for Gc antibodies ( 100%), while 25% of 32 M, pneumoniae-infected patients without neurolo gical disease were positive, and 3.8% of 52 healthy controls. This ind icates anti-Gc antibody is induced by M, pneumoniae infection. One of the PIE patients, who had extraordinary high titer antibody to Gc, sho wed an extensive, diffuse white matter demyelination and poor recovery , Since circulating anti-Gc antibody induces central nervous system de myelination in animals with elevated antibody titers and disruption of the blood-brain barrier, anti-Gc antibody may have an important funct ion in the increased demyelination in PIE patients after M. pneumoniae infection.