[Campylobacter jejuni enteritis and Guillain-Barré syndrome]

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is the most common cause of acute neuromuscular paralysis. Sera from patients with GBS following Campylobacter jejuni infection frequently have autoantibody to GM 1 ganglioside in the acute phase of the illness. We revealed that the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of C. jejuni that was isolated from a GBS patient has the oligosaccharide structure [Gal beta 1-3 GalNAc beta 1-4 (NeuAc alpha 2-3) Gal beta 1-], which is identical to the terminal tetrasaccharide of GM 1 ganglioside. (1) Infection by C. jejuni that bears the GM 1-like lipopolysaccharide associated with the serotypic determinant of PEN 19 induces high production of IgG 1 and IgG 3 anti-GM 1 antibodies with help of T cells. (2) IgG anti-GM 1 antibody binds to motor nerve terminal axons, inhibits motoneuron excitability, and produces the development of GBS.