Guillain-Barré syndrome following hepatitis E

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is often triggered by a
preceding bacterial or viral infection. Occasionally, it
has been observed in association with acute hepatitis
A, B and C, and three cases have been previously
described in India in which GBS was associated with
acute hepatitis E. A molecular mimicry mechanism
is supposed to be involved in the pathogenesis
of GBS triggered by infectious agents, although
the nature of the shared epitopes has not been
characterized in most instances, including that in the
case of hepatotropic viruses. We report a case of GBS
following acute hepatitis E in a European individual.
The presence of antiganglioside GM2 antibodies in
this patient suggested molecular mimicry involving
ganglioside GM2 in the pathogenesis of GBS associated
with hepatitis E.