Cytomegalovirus infections and anti-GM2 antibodies in Guillain-Barré syndrome

B C Jacobs; P A van Doorn; J H Groeneveld; A P Tio-Gillen; F G van der Meché

doi:10.1136/jnnp.62.6.641

Cytomegalovirus infections and anti-GM2 antibodies in Guillain-Barré syndrome

J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1997 Jun;62(6):641-3. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.62.6.641.

Authors

B C Jacobs¹, P A van Doorn, J H Groeneveld, A P Tio-Gillen, F G van der Meché

Affiliation

¹ Department of Neurology, University Hospital Dijkzigt and Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Abstract

To investigate whether antecedent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections in patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome are associated with the presence of specific antiganglioside antibodies, acute phase serum samples from 130 patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome and 200 controls were tested. Anti-GM2 IgM antibodies were found more often in patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome with CMV infection (22%) than in patients without the infection (2%) (P = 0.003). CMV infections may elicit anti-GM2 antibodies in susceptible patients, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with CMV.

Publication types

Comparative Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Chromatography, Thin Layer
Cytomegalovirus Infections / complications*
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
G(M2) Ganglioside / immunology*
Humans
Immunoglobulin G / immunology
Immunoglobulin M / immunology
Polyradiculoneuropathy / etiology*
Polyradiculoneuropathy / immunology*

Substances

Immunoglobulin G
Immunoglobulin M
G(M2) Ganglioside