Association of Campylobacter jejuni serotype with antiganglioside antibody in Guillain‐Barré syndrome and Fisher's syndrome

Abstract

Using Penner's method and Lior's scheme, we serotyped 31 isolates from patients with Guillain‐Barré syndrome, 7 isolates from those with Fisher's syndrome, and isolates from patients with sporadic enteritis. PEN 19 of Campylobacter jejuni was isolated more frequently from the Guillain‐Barré syndrome patients (16/31 isolates, 52%) than from the sporadic enteritis patients (5%). LIO 7 of C. jejuni also was isolated more frequently from the Gillain‐Barré syndrome patients (14/31 isolates, 45%) than from the enteritis patients (3%). One reason why Guillain‐Barré syndrome is rare, despite the high incidence of C. jejuni enteritis, may be the low frequencies of PEN 19 and LIO 7. The frequency of positive anti‐GM ₁ antibody titers in the Guillain‐Barré syndrome patients with PEN 19 isolates was higher than that in the Guillain‐Barré syndrome and Fisher's syndrome patients without PEN 19 isolates. We speculate that the serotypic determinant of PEN 19 aids in the production of anti‐GM ₁ antibody by a GM ₁−like lipopolysaccharide. In contrast, 5 of the 7 isolates from the Fisher's syndrome patients belonged to PEN 2:LIO 4. The IgG anti‐GQ _1b antibody was associated with PEN 2 and LIO 4. These serotypic determinants may aid in the production of IgG anti‐GQ _1b antibody by a GQ _1b−like lipopolysaccharide.