Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with Salmonella paratyphi A

Abstract

A 31-year-old Nepali man was admitted to the intensive care unit with a 3-day history of fever associated with four-limb weakness, followed by difficulty in swallowing. The patient came from Nepal 20 days before admission. On examination the patient was conscious and appeared ill, with a temperature of 38.0 degrees C. His four limbs were weak (grades 2-3) and he was areflexic with mild facial weakness and absent gag reflex. Brain CT and MRI were normal. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed high protein. A neurophysiologic study showed data consistent with motor axonal polyradiculopathy. The patient was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), and intravenous immunoglobulin (0.4 g/kg day for 5 days) was administered. On the third hospitalization day, the patient developed respiratory failure for which he was intubated and mechanically ventilated. On the same day, blood samples grew Salmonella paratyphi A (S. paratyphi A), which was sensitive to ceftriaxone. The patient was then diagnosed with GBS associated with S. paratyphi A, and treated with ceftriaxon (2 g administered intravenously, daily for 10 days). On the eleventh hospitalization day the patient was weaned from ventilator and extubated successfully. Subsequently, the patient improved, his fever subsided, and he regained muscle power satisfactorily.