Longitudinal study of serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) class-specific antibodies against Campylobacter jejuni and GM1 ganglioside in Guillain-Barré syndrome.

We report two Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) patients with culture-proven Campylobacter jejuni (Penner19/Lior 7). Elevated anti-C.jejuni IgA antibody declined to the normal range within one month, elevation of anti-C.jejuni IgM antibody lasted for 3 months and the titers of anti-C.jejuni IgG antibody were still elevated at one year after the neurologic onset. Serological criteria for antecedent C.jejuni infection in GBS patients should require 1) high titer of serum IgA and/or IgM antibody against C.jejuni followed by seroconversion of the IgA and/or IgM and 2) a 4-fold decline of IgG serum dilution against C.jejuni. Anti-C.jejuni antibodies in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) reached the maximum value at one month after their neurologic onset which may not be responsible for the main pathological mechanism in the development of GBS. Anti-GM1 antibodies in serum and CSF were parallel with those of anti-C.jejuni antibodies during the course of the disease.