Campylobacter jejuni DNA-binding protein from starved cells in Guillain-Barré syndrome patients.

Campylobacter jejuni enteritis is frequently associated with an axonal form of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and C. jejuni DNA-binding protein from starved cells (C-Dps) induces paranodal myelin detachment and axonal degeneration through binding with sulfatide in vivo. Here we investigated the invasion of C-Dps into hosts with C. jejuni-related GBS. Our analyses of patient sera found that both C-Dps and anti-C-Dps antibodies were most commonly detected in sera from C. jejuni-related GBS patients (5/27, 14.8% and 15/24, 62.5%; respectively). These findings suggest that C-Dps invades the host and may potentially contribute to the peripheral nerve damage in C. jejuni-related GBS.