Abstract
We investigated the presence of cst-II, cgtA, and cstB associated with ganglioside mimicry in Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) associated with Campylobacter jejuni strains from humans and chicken. To examine the relationship of Campylobacter jejuni isolates with the development of GBS, 246 strains isolated from 30 gastroenteritis patients and 28 chicken liver samples were characterized by a serological test and subjected to PCR analysis to detect cstII, cgtA, and cgtB associated with ganglioside-like mimicry of lipooligosaccharide (LOS) and to an antimicrobial susceptibility test. All these three LOS genes were detected in 26.7% of human-derived strains and 43.5% of chicken-derived strains. The serogroups of the strains harboring the three LOS genes were as follows: serogroups B(O:2), D(O:4,13,16,43,50) and O(O:19) in chicken-derived strains and serogroups D(O:4,13,16,43,50) and O(O:19) in human-derived strains. It was considered that there was a sufficient association because similar serotypes were detected in human-derived strains and chicken-derived strains. However, the serotypes of many strains were not clearly identified. Therefore, the method of detecting the presence of cst-II, cgtA, and cgtB associated with ganglioside mimicry in GBS associated with C. jejuni strains was more useful.
