Molecular mimicry between GQ1b ganglioside and lipopolysaccharides of Campylobacter jejuni isolated from patients with Fisher's syndrome

We isolated Campylobacter jejuni from 2 patients with Fisher's syndrome subsequent to enteritis. Crude lipopolysaccharide fractions were extracted from the bacteria and separated by thin-layer chromatography. Monoclonal antibodies to GQ_1b ganglioside (GMR 13 and 7F5) reacted with both lipopolysaccharide fractions, indicating that the lipopolysaccharides bear the GQ_1b epitope. This is the first report of molecular mimicry between neural tissue components and the antecedent infectious agents of Fisher's syndrome.