Comparative genomic analysis of Campylobacter jejuni associated with Guillain-Barré and Miller Fisher syndromes: neuropathogenic and enteritis-associated isolates can share high levels of genomic similarity

摘要

BackgroundCampylobacter jejuni infection represents the most frequent antecedent infection triggering the onset of the neuropathic disorders Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS). Although sialylated ganglioside-mimicking lipo-oligosaccharide (LOS) structures are the strongest neuropathogenic determinants in C. jejuni, they do not appear to be the only requirement for a neuropathic outcome since strains capable of their production have been isolated from patients with uncomplicated cases of enteritis. Consequently, other pathogen and/or host-related factors contribute to the onset of neurological complications. We have used comparative genomic hybridization to perform a detailed genomic comparison of strains isolated from GBS/MFS and enteritis-only patients. Our dataset, in which the gene conservation profile for 1712 genes was assayed in 102 strains, including 56 neuropathogenic isolates, represents the largest systematic search for C. jejuni factors associated with GBS/MFS to date and has allowed us to analyze the genetic background of neuropathogenic C. jejuni strains with an unprecedented level of resolution.