Article Text
Abstract
Background:Haemophilus influenzae is considered a causative agent of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and Fisher syndrome, but the frequency of this infection in GBS is controversial.
Objective: To determine whether isolation of H influenzae indicates it is a causative agent in GBS and Fisher syndrome.
Results: Four (15%) of 27 patients with GBS and Fisher syndrome in whom H influenzae was isolated were also seropositive for Campylobacter jejuni. Antiganglioside IgG antibodies in these four patients did not cross react with their H influenzae lipo-oligosaccharides, whereas antiganglioside antibodies in the four patients with positive serology for H influenzae did.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that H influenzae isolation is not always indicative of the causative agent in these syndromes and that tests for other infections should be made, even in cases of positive culture.
- GBS, Guillain-Barré syndrome
- LOS, lipo-oligosaccharide
- Guillain-Barré syndrome
- Fisher syndrome
- Haemophilus influenzae
- ganglioside
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Footnotes
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Competing interests: none declared.