Subclass IgG to motor gangliosides related to infection and clinical course in Guillain-Barre syndrome

In 176 patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome the subclass and cross-reactivity of serum IgG antibodies to motor gangliosides was related to preceding infections and clinical phenotypes. Two subgroups of patients were identified. Presence of only IgG I antibodies was related to diarrhea, positive Campylobacter serology, cross-reactive antibodies to C jejuni lipo-oligosaccharides and poor outcome. In contrast, having both IgG1 and IgG3 antibodies was related to upper respiratory tract infections, cross-reactive antibodies to Haemophilus influenzae lipo-oligosaccharides and better outcome. These findings support a model in which C. jejuni and H. influenzae infections induce two distinct patterns of cross-reactive antibodies with different clinical outcome. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.