Automatic Evaluation of Test Strips for Anti-Ganglioside Antibodies in Patients with Guillain-Barré Syndrome Using EUROLineScan Software

Abstract

Campylobacter jejuni infection has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) due to production of humoral immune response against neural antigens. A case-control study was performed in a tertiary care teaching hospital for the estimation of anti-ganglioside antibodies in GBS patients and their controls. Blood samples were collected from 59 GBS cases, 58 neurological controls (NC) and 60 non-neurological control (NNC) patients for automatic estimation of IgG and IgM antibodies to seven gangliosides using EUROLineScan software. Antibodies of IgG class for GM1 were highly significant in GBS (p = 0.000) and NC (p = 0.031) compared to NNC. However GBS group was not significant (p = 0.413) compared to NC. For GM2 ganglioside, GBS and NC groups were significant (p = 0.000) compared to NNC, but GBS group was not significant (p = 0.999) compared to NC. For GM3 ganglioside, GBS and NC groups were significant (p = 0.000) compared to NNC; but GBS group was insignificant (p = 0.858) compared to NC with similar trend for all other ganglioside antibodies. When IgM class of antibodies was evaluated for GM1, GBS group was not significant (p = 0.604) whereas NC group was significant (p = 0.000) compared to NNC. GBS group was not significant compared to NC (p = 0.011). The trend was the same for GM2 antibodies. For GM3, GBS group was significant (p = 0.010) and NC was near significant (p = 0.055) compared to NNC. However GBS group was not significant (p = 0.808) compared to NC. No groups were significant (p > 0.05) in relation to the remaining gangliosides except for GQ1b where GBS group (p = 0.001) and NC group were significant (p = 0.000) compared to NNC. GBS group was also significant (p = 0.001) compared to NC and NNC. Anti-gangliosides antibodies were present in highly significant levels in the GBS group, though they were also present in the non-paralytic neurological control patients compared to the non-neurological control group.

Campylobacterinfections and Guillain Barré syndrome

“…[22] Sharma et al studied the relationship between preceding C. jejuni infection and its correlation to the various subtypes of GBS by electrophysiological and serological testing. They found that preceding C. jejuni infection is common among GBS patients and is often associated with the axonal variety, which is generally present in a younger age group as compared to patients with AIDP (acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuro- [23,24] pathy). Vaishnavi et al reported a case-control study for the estimation of anti-ganglioside antibodies in GBS patients (n=59) and their neurological (n=58) and nonneurological controls (n=60) by both subjective and automatic estimation of IgG and IgM antibodies to seven gangliosides using EUROLineScan software.…”