Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2022 Jan 3;22(1):9.
doi: 10.1186/s12883-021-02537-6.

Campylobacter coli infection causes spinal epidural abscess with Guillain-Barré syndrome: a case report

Masako Fujita  1 , Tatsuya Ueno  2 , Michiru Horiuchi  2 , Tatsuro Mitsuhashi  3 , Shouji Yamamoto  4 , Akira Arai  2 , Masahiko Tomiyama  5
Affiliations
Case Reports

Campylobacter coli infection causes spinal epidural abscess with Guillain-Barré syndrome: a case report

Masako Fujita et al. BMC Neurol. .

Abstract

Background: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and spinal epidural abscess (SEA) are known as mimics of each other because they present with flaccid paralysis following an infection; however, they differ in the main causative bacteria. Nevertheless, the two diseases can occur simultaneously if there is a preceding Campylobacter infection. Here, we report the first case of SEA with GBS following Campylobacter coli infection.

Case presentation: A 71-year-old Japanese man presented with progressive back pain and paralysis of the lower limbs following enteritis. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a lumbar epidural abscess that required surgical decompression; therefore, surgical drainage was performed. Blood cultures revealed the presence of C. coli. Despite surgery, the paralysis progressed to the extremities. Nerve conduction studies led to the diagnosis of GBS. Anti-ganglioside antibodies in the patient suggested that GBS was preceded by Campylobacter infection. Intravascular immunoglobulin therapy attenuated the progression of the paralysis.

Conclusions: We report a case of SEA and GBS following Campylobacter infection. A combination of the two diseases is rare; however, it could occur if the preceding infection is caused by Campylobacter spp. If a cause is known but the patient does not respond to the corresponding treatment, it is important to reconsider the diagnosis based on the medical history.

Keywords: Anti-ganglioside antibodies; Bacterial infection; acute motor sensory axonal neuropathy; paralysis; Campylobacter coli; Guillain–Barré syndrome; Spinal epidural abscess.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Lumbar magnetic resonance imaging. a Sagittal lumber T2-weighted images show a high signal intensity at the L5-S1 vertebral disc, indicating an epidural abscess (arrow). b Axial T2-weighted images reveal abscess at the L5 disc (arrow)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Darouiche RO. Spinal epidural abscess. N Engl J Med. 2006;355:2012–2020. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra055111. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Yuki N. Infectious origins of, and molecular mimicry in, Guillain–Barré and fisher syndromes. Lancet Infect Dis. 2001;1:29–37. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(01)00019-6. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Funakoshi K, Koga M, Takahashi M, Hirata K, Yuki N. Campylobacter coli enteritis and Guillain–Barré syndrome: no evidence of molecular mimicry and serological relationship. J Neurol Sci. 2006;246:163–168. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2006.02.010. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Jacobs BC, Rothbarth PH, van der Meché FG, Herbrink P, Schmitz PI, de Klerk MA, et al. The spectrum of antecedent infections in Guillain–Barré syndrome: a case-control study. Neurology. 1998;51:1110–1115. doi: 10.1212/WNL.51.4.1110. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Feodoroff B, Lauhio A, Ellström P, Rautelin H. A nationwide study of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli bacteremia in Finland over a 10-year period, 1998-2007, with special reference to clinical characteristics and antimicrobial susceptibility. Clin Infect Dis. 2011;53:e99–e106. doi: 10.1093/cid/cir509. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types