Demonstration of antimyelin antibodies by immunofluorescence in Guillain-Barré syndrome.

IgG, IgA and IgM antibodies reacting with myelin sheaths were found in the sera but not in the cerebrospinal fluid of four out of six patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome. These antibodies had organ specificity for myelin of the central and peripheral nervous systems but did not demonstrate species specificity. Similar antibodies, but in much lower titres, were found infrequently in the sera of patients with liver disease and rarely in normal individuals. The organ specificity and the close correlation between antibody titres and disease activity suggest the possibility that these antibodies may play a role in the pathogenesis of Guillain-Barré syndrome. The detection of antimyelin antibodies by immunofluorescence may provide a relatively simple ancillary laboratory aid in the diagnosis of the neurological entity.