Ask A Scientist© Molecular Biology Archive

name         Alexandre
status       student
age          20s
Question -   I wanna know what is the etiopatogeny of 
Guillain-Barré Syndrome?

Guillain-Barre Syndrome is a neurological disorder
that causes periferal paralysis. It is believed to be
antibody-mediated. The cause is a viral or
bacteriological infection that results in an
over-reaction of the immune system, leading to
autoimmune response against the body-self gangliosides
present on Schwann cells. One of the most common
infections that can lead to GBS is Campylobacter
jejuni, a Gram-negative bacterium that causes diarrhea
and is a contaminant of poultry and other food-stuff.
Fortunately, most Campylobacter infections do not lead
to GBS, and possibly only certain serotypes are
involved. Host factors certainly also determine if a
C. jejuni infection, or a different infection, leads
on to GBS (or the closely related Miller Fisher
Syndrom) but we don't know what these host factors
are. It has been proven that certain LPS structures on
the surface of Campylobacter bacteria resemble the
gangliosides present on neural cells.

A very good article on GBS is that of Nachamkin et
al., J. Clin. Rev. 11, 555-567 (1998).

Dr. Trudy Wassenaar
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