Anti-GQ1b-Negative Miller Fisher Syndrome After Campylobacter jejuni Enteritis

Abstract

Miller Fisher syndrome is a clinical variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome, characterized by acute-onset ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, and areflexia. It results from an immune response to a cross-reactive antigen between GQ1b ganglioside in human neurons and lipo-oligosaccharides of certain bacteria, e.g., Campylobacter jejuni. Anti-GQ1b antibody is a powerful diagnostic marker for Miller Fisher syndrome. However, only a small number of anti-GQ1b-negative Miller Fisher syndrome cases are documented. A 13-year-old boy demonstrated typical clinical features of Miller Fisher syndrome 1 week after C.jejuni enteritis, but was anti-GQ1b and anti-GM1b antibody-negative.