Detection of MCP-1 and IL-8 in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of a child with Miller Fisher syndrome.

We describe an 11-year-old female patient who presented with a 7-day history of diplopia and difficulty walking. On examination she had ataxia, areflexia and ophthalmoplegia, and a diagnosis of Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS) was made after the exclusion of other conditions. Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and interleukin (IL)-8 chemokine levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were significantly increased in the acute phase. We believe MFS in this patient was due to both peripheral nervous system dysfunction, and central nervous system (CNS) involvement. The cause of MFS in this patient was suggested by the localized chemokine production in the CSF. The high expression of MCP-1 and IL-8 chemokines suggest that macrophages and T cells may stimulate inflammation of the CNS in MFS.