ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CAMPYLOBACTER INFECTION AND GUILLAIN-BARRE-SYNDROME

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), a neurologic disease that produces asce nding paralysis, affects people all over the world. Acute infectious i llnesses precede 50%-75% of the GBS cases. Although many infectious ag ents have been associated with GBS, the strongest documented associati on is with Campylobacter infection. The first line of evidence support ing Campylobacter infection as a trigger of GBS is anecdotal reports. The second line of evidence is serologic surveys, which have demonstra ted that sera from GBS patients contain anti-Campylobacter jejuni anti bodies, consistent with recent infection. Finally, culture studies hav e proven that a high proportion of GBS patients have C. jejuni in thei r stools at the time of onset of neurologic symptoms. Neurologic sympt oms are more severe and more likely to be irreversible when GBS is pre ceded by C. jejuni infection. One of every 1058 Campylobacter infectio ns results in GBS, and 1 of 158 Campylobacter type 0:19 infections res ults in GBS.