Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

Brief Clinical Note

A case of multiple cranial neuropathy after Campylobacter jejuni infection

Satoko Kobori, M.D., Fumihito Yoshii, M.D., Hirohide Takahashi, M.D., Shigeharu Takagi, M.D. and Kei Funakoshi, M.D.1)

Department of Neurology, Tokai University School of Medicine
1)Department of Neurology, Dokkyo University School of Medicine

We report a patient who developed overlapping symptoms of ophthalmoplegia and oropharyngeal palsy after Campylobacter jejuni infection. A 15-year-old man had diarrhea and fever, and developed dysarthria, diplopia and ptosis two weeks later. He did not show ataxia, weakness or abnormal tendon reflexes in the extremities during the clinical course. In the acute phase of the disease, we found significant elevation of anti-GQ1b and anti-GT1a IgG antibodies in the serum, and high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin therapy remarkably ameliorated the symptoms. Our patient was atypical of Fisher syndrome or pharyngeal-cervical-brachial (PCB) weakness, and this is the first case of multiple cranial neuropathy associated with C. jejuni infection.

(CLINICA NEUROL, 47: 53|55, 2007)
key words: Campylobacter jejuni, Fisher syndrome, pharyngeal-cervical-brachial (PCB) weakness, ophthalmoplegia, oropharyngeal palsy

(Received: 8-Sep-06)