Campylobacter jejuni and Guillain-Barré syndrome

Abstract

Campylobacter jejuni is the most frequently identified bacterial cause of gastroenteritis in the UK, and commonly precedes Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). There is some evidence that the resultant neurological disease may be a more severe variant of GBS with predominant axonal degeneration. Crossreactivity between neural antigens and C. jejuni may be one of the mechanisms by which GBS is triggered. Unravelling the immunopathogenesis of GBS following C. jejuni enteritis may shed light on the way in which bacterial infections induce autoimmune disease.