Campylobacter jejuni-induced acute transverse myelitis.

STUDY

DESIGN

Case report.

SETTING

University Hospital of Antwerp, tertiary referral hospital of the University of Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium.

CASE REPORT: Campylobacter jejuni infection is related to various syndromes in which the peripheral nervous system is involved. An immune response is triggered through molecular mimicry between gangliosides of the peripheral nervous system and lipo-oligosaccharides of C. jejuni. We report a case of a previously healthy 17-year-old girl, who developed clinical manifestations of acute transverse myelitis (ATM) 7 days after a culture-proven C. jejuni enteritis. High titres of serum IgG antibodies to the ganglioside GM1 were found in the acute phase of disease, which decreased with clinical recovery. These antibodies cross-reacted with C. jejuni lipo-oligosaccharides, indicating that C. jejuni infections may induce ATM.

CONCLUSIONS

Only a few cases of C. jejuni infection associated with demyelination of the central nervous system or spinal cord have been described. Physicians should be aware that C. jejuni might be another cause of transverse myelitis.