Anti-galactocerebroside testing in Mycoplasma pneumoniae-associated encephalitis☆

Epidemiology, clinical manifestations, pathogenesis and laboratory detection ofMycoplasma pneumoniaeinfections: Figure 1

“…Patients with Campylobacter jejuni ‐associated GBS were uniformly negative for anti‐GalC antibodies. Other studies have suggested that anti‐GM1 antibodies are also produced during M. pneumoniae infection and that the anti‐GalC antibodies are an epiphenomenon (Susuki et al , 2004; Christie et al , 2007a, b).…”

Antibody Responses to Mycoplasma pneumoniae: Role in Pathogenesis and Diagnosis of Encephalitis?

“…Moreover, these anti-GalC antibodies cause neuropathy in rabbits that are immunized with GalC [40]. Such antibodies may also be involved in demyelination of central nerve cells in M. pneumoniae encephalitis, as a significant correlation was found between the presence of anti-GalC antibodies in the CSF and demyelination ( p  = 0.026) [30].…”

“…All cases that underwent PCR testing (93%) indeed had a positive PCR targeting M. pneumoniae in the CSF [28] even though it has been recently demonstrated that intrathecal antibody responses to M. pneumoniae but not bacterial DNA can be present at the onset of clinical encephalitis [29]. In another study, it was reported that intrathecal antibodies to M. pneumoniae were found to cross-react with galactocerebroside C (GalC) in eight out of 21 (38%) of M. pneumoniae encephalitis cases [30]. All eight cases showed a negative PCR targeting M. pneumoniae in CSF.…”

“…Anti-GalC antibodies have not only been detected in CSF but also in the serum of M. pneumoniae encephalitis patients [30], [36], [41]–[43], including rates from 13% (2/15) [30] to 100% (3/3) [41], respectively. It is possible that during inflammation the blood-brain barrier (BBB) can become permeable, which would thereby enable antibodies to cross the BBB and cause disease.…”

Infección por Mycoplasma neumoniae: microangeitis cerebral, síndrome de Bickerstaff y anemia hemolítica autoinmune

“…En este paciente el LCR era normal, lo que permitió eliminar como causa de su compromiso neurológico una meningoencefalitis directa o reactiva originada por el Mycoplasma, identifi cado entre las causas más frecuentes de encefalitis en los niños 6,7 . Sin embargo, llamó la atención la presencia de gló-bulos rojos en el LCR, aunque su signifi cado no fue interpretado hasta después de realizada la RM, que mostró imágenes excepcionales, concordantes con microhemorragias múltiples de la corteza cerebral y cerebelosa.…”