Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with high titers of anti-GM1 antibodies (original) (raw)

Detection of anti-ganglioside antibodies in Guillain-Barré syndrome and its variants by the agglutination assay

Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 2002

Sera from 40 patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), including the subtypes acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP), acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN), acute motor and sensory axonal neuropathy (AMSAN), and Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS) were examined for the presence of anti-ganglioside antibodies using the ganglioside agglutination assay, and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In the ELISA system, sera were tested for IgM and IgG antibodies to GM1, GM2, GD1a, GD1b, GT1b, and GQ1b gangliosides. Antibodies to gangliosides were detected in 21 (53%) of the GBS patients by agglutination assay and in 17 (43%) of the patients by ELISA. Some of the sera reacted with more than one ganglioside. Antibodies were not found in the control sera that were studied. The agglutination assay may be useful for rapid screening of GBS sera for antibodies to multiple gangliosides.

Axonal Guillain-Barr� syndrome: Relation to anti-ganglioside antibodies andCampylobacter jejuni infection in Japan

Annals of Neurology, 2000

To clarify the relations of the axonal form of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) to anti-ganglioside antibodies and Campylobacter jejuni infection, 86 consecutive Japanese GBS patients were studied. Electrodiagnostic criteria showed acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy in 36% of the patients and acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) in 38%. Frequent anti-ganglioside antibodies were of the IgG class and against GM1 (40%), GD1a (30%), GalNAc-GD1a (17%), and GD1b (21%). Identified infections were C. jejuni (23%), cytomegalovirus (10%), Mycoplasma pneumoniae (6%), and Epstein-Barr virus (3%). There was a strong association between AMAN and IgG antibodies against GM1, GD1a, GalNAc-GD1a, or GD1b. Almost all the patients with at least one of these antibodies had the AMAN pattern or rapid resolution of conduction slowing/block possibly because of early-reversible changes on the axolemma. C. jejuni infection was frequently associated with AMAN or anti-ganglioside antibodies, but more than half of the patients with AMAN or anti-ganglioside antibodies were C. jejuni-negative. These findings suggest that the three phenomena "axonal dysfunctions (AMAN or early-reversible conduction failure)," "IgG antibodies against GM1, GD1a, GalNAc-GD1a, or GD1b," and "C. jejuni infection" are closely associated but that microorganisms other than C. jejuni frequently trigger an anti-ganglioside response and elicit axonal GBS.

Range of cross reactivity of anti-GM1 IgG antibody in Guillain-Barre syndrome

Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 2001

The cross reactivity of anti-GM1 IgG antibody with various gangliosides and asialo-GM1 in serum samples from 27 patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome was investigated. An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) absorption study showed that anti-GM1 IgG antibody cross reacted with asialo-GM1 in 52% of the patients, GM1b in 41%, GD1b in 22%, and GalNAc-GD1a in 19%, and that it did not cross react with GM2, GT1b, or GQ1b. The antibody that cross reacted with GD1b was associated with a high frequency of cranial nerve involvement and negative Campylobacter jejuni serology. Anti-GM1 IgG antibody has a broad range of cross reactivity which may contribute to various clinical variations of Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Axonal Guillain-Barré syndrome: concepts and controversies

The Lancet Neurology, 2013

Acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) is a pure motor axonal subtype of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) that was identifi ed in the late 1990s. In Asia and Central and South America, it is the major subtype of GBS, seen in 30-65% of patients. AMAN progresses more rapidly and has an earlier peak than demyelinating GBS; tendon refl exes are relatively preserved or even exaggerated, and autonomic dysfunction is rare. One of the main causes is molecular mimicry of human gangliosides by Campylobacter jejuni lipo-oligosaccharides. In addition to axonal degeneration, electrophysiology shows rapidly reversible nerve conduction blockade or slowing, presumably due to pathological changes at the nodes or paranodes. Autoantibodies that bind to GM1 or GD1a gangliosides at the nodes of Ranvier activate complement and disrupt sodium-channel clusters and axoglial junctions, which leads to nerve conduction failure and muscle weakness. Improved understanding of the disease mechanism and pathophysiology might lead to new treatment options and improve the outlook for patients with AMAN.

Mechanisms of Action of Anti‐GM1and Anti‐GQ1bGanglioside Antibodies in Guillain‐Barré Syndrome

The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 1997

Anti-GM 1 and anti-GQ 1b ganglioside antibodies are found in association with acute and chronic peripheral neuropathies, including Guillain-Barré syndrome. They are believed to arise as a result of molecular mimicry with immunogenic microbial polysaccharides. Although anti-ganglioside antibodies are suspected to play a causal role in neuropathy pathogenesis, the details of this have yet to be proven. The approach in this laboratory to solving this issue has been to generate anti-GM 1 and anti-GQ 1b monoclonal antibodies from peripheral blood lymphocytes of affected patients and to study their immunolocalization in peripheral nerve and their electrophysiologic effects in animal models in which peripheral nerve sites are exposed to anti-ganglioside antibodies. These data show that anti-ganglioside antibody-reactive epitopes are widely distributed in peripheral nerve and can cause electrophysiologic abnormalities in a variety of model systems; thus, these data support the view that anti-ganglioside antibody-reactive epitopes may directly contribute to neuropathy pathogenesis.

Prospective study on anti-ganglioside antibodies in childhood Guillain-Barre syndrome

Archives of Disease in Childhood, 2007

Antiganglioside antibodies have been reported to play a part in the pathophysiology of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). To investigate the prevalence and correlation of anti-ganglioside antibodies with clinical data in children with GBS in a multicentre clinical trial. Immunoglobin (Ig)G and IgM to GM1, GM1b, GD1a, GalNAc-GD1a, GD1b, GT1a, and GQ1b were measured by ELISA in sera obtained before treatment. In addition, serological testing for Campylobacter jejuni was carried out. In parallel, a group of adults with GBS and a control group of children without GBS or other inflammatory diseases were evaluated. Sera from 63 children with GBS, 36 adults with GBS and 41 children without GBS were evaluated. Four of the children with GBS showed positive IgG to GM1, in one case combined with anti-GalNAc-GD1a and in one with anti-GD1b. Two others showed isolated positive IgG to GD1b and GT1a. One showed increased anti-GalNAc-GD1a IgM. In 5 of the 63 children, serological evidence of a recent infection with C jejuni was found, and this correlated significantly with the raised antibodies (p = 0.001). In the control group without GBS, no child showed positive IgG, but one showed anti-GalNAc-GD1a IgM. Compared with the adults with GBS, the frequency of antibodies in children was insignificantly lower. In our study, patients with positive antibodies did not show a more severe GBS course or worse outcome than those who were seronegative, and we could not show an increased incidence of axonal dysfunction. In some children with GBS, one can detect raised IgG against various gangliosides, similar to that in adults. A recent infection with C jejuni is markedly associated with the presence of these antibodies. However, in contrast with what has been reported in adults, in this study we were unable to show a negative effect of these findings on the clinical course.

Pathogenicity of anti-ganglioside antibodies in the Guillain-Barré syndrome

Autoimmunity Reviews, 2004

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a postinfectious inflammatory polyradiculo-neuropathy characterized bý flaccid paralysis. Antibodies directed against glycolipid structures (gangliosides), which are highly expressed in the peripheral nervous system, are frequently detected in sera from GBS patients. These antibodies interfere with nerve conduction and have been shown to activate phagocytes via IgG receptors (FcgR). These findings support an important role of glycolipid-specific antibodies in the pathogenesis of GBS. ᮊ